Pushing Up Daisies
by Misttake
Summary: Illiteracy is a common problem among orphans within the village. When Naruto misreads a scroll, it sends him back in time. A time where Konoha is not yet born, and a time where dark-haired men refuse to say no. Especially to pretty, blonde women. FEMNaru.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto stared at the future cause of most of his village's pain. Sure, he did help him become stronger by taking control of the Kyubbi and in a sort of messed up way also let him make friends he would never would have thought possible, but that didn't make it any better.

It surprised him actually, the way the dark-haired man hunched over himself as if trying to fold in half. Or maybe he was trying to do that stupid jutsu thing he did when he was too lazy to fight, or some shit like that. All he knew was that it was annoying as fuck.

After a few more moments of drawn out angst, the weirdo let out a long and disturbing sigh that shook his whole body. Naruto's muscles tensed in preparation, he could feel the power radiating off the sulking young man, almost like a wave of cool energy. He shifted quietly within the brush and looked closely at the man, trying to see if he had sensed Naruto's presence.

"Come on, just keep crying and don't look this way," he thought. After a few seconds, the energy was shut completely off. "He mentally sighed and rolled his eyes, "What are you trying to do, attract attention so someone can come and sooth your bruised ego?"

How typical of the mystery men women were so fond of, trying to be cool even though he was miserable, terrible bunch they were, attention whores and psycho maniacs. Well maybe Sasuke was alright, but that didn't make him any less annoying! But this guy, this freak-of-nature, had a way of getting on his nerves more that a friend/rival could ever do. Maybe it had something to do what that aggravating disguise he was so fond of using when he met him. He snorted, _who knew._

Said young man lifted his head sharply looking right at Naruto.

"Shit!" The kimono-clad woman said, "Alright, play it cool, don't let some fuckin' psycho bitch get to you," he whispered to himself or herself in this case.

See what was really odd about this certain situation was that Naruto, twenty-two year old shinobi of the mighty village hidden in the leaves was in a kimono, a kimono that hindered his movement and did not make him feel as comfortable as he'd like. Sure it was beautiful and gave him a certain grace that he could never achieve as a man, but nevertheless it was irritating. The reason he was wearing this garment was due to the fact the he somehow ended up in the past. A past where evidently a woman wearing pants or anything of the sort was cause for grumpy old men to chase after you screaming harlot, throwing stones of all things, which he thought was totally uncalled for.

That was fine with Naruto though, a ninja was trained to adapt to a situation so he had snagged some clothes from a merchant and simply transformed into something aesthetically pleasing. The reason that he was whatever-years before his time was so lame it made him lose respect for himself. Really, and it wasn't some cool mixture of badass jutsu or Kyuubi releasing some last ditch effort to save both their asses, but a simple thing like misreading some random scroll.

He hissed under his breath, he could have sworn he had gotten the whole reading thing down to a tee, Jiraiya, god rest his soul, would sure to hear about this in the afterlife.

Steeling himself to what could be a nasty fight, Naruto straightened out his newly feminine figure and walked out of the bush he was crouched it. A small shiver rippled throughout her body, _still need to get used to this female thing_, he thought, sure he'd gone on missions when kunoichi were low and he needed to use his special techniques to transform into a woman, but this was different, this was an instance where he didn't have a choice in the matter but was forced to accept reality. Also, they were never the disguise in which he went in with, it was usually only meant for a couple of minutes.

After a small demonstration to the Hokage though, it changed everything. It had actually surprised him that Tsunade had not known of it. The look on her face when he had transformed and had shyly looked at the floor, finger lightly touching her lip trying to be cute, was unforgettable. It wasn't the look of an embarrassed woman trying not to pay attention to a naked female, or the angry flame that burned in Sakura's eyes whenever he performed it by his lack of decency or some nonsense like that, but the cold, calculating look of a buyer suddenly realizing that its toy could do more, so much more. The evil grin that accompanied the look also didn't help. That day was followed by Tsunade adding missions to his schedule that he would never had actually considered carrying out. Missions such as befriending a young princess to help persuade her very rich and powerful father to open up trade routes that would help Konoha financially, not only civilian-wise but would bring in more missions, or seducing an insecure young man of a very powerful daimyo family; seduction of all things! Hell, he already had an idea of how to be sexy and feminine by observing his classmates and comrades, but the crash course in female behavior and skills that Shizune and Kurenai had given him had blown his mind. The things women did without even saying or doing anything gave him the chills. Well, all for the sake of the village, if he had to have sex with some guy that was okay. Naruto wasn't some blushing heterosexual prude, he had a few experiences with men, but what made him guilty was 'tricking' the man into becoming infatuated with him and using the jutsu for actual intercourse, which wasn't half-bad. Besides it wasn't like he hadn't done it with his clones before. _Hey, always explore a jutsu to the fullest, it might get you places_, he thought shamelessly.

What didn't make him run out of the Hokage's office was the comedic relief that Kakashi-sensei had provided. He had been in the corner simply lagging behind after having given her a debriefing, he had not been reading his infamous orange novel, but had his hands in his pockets, giving off the air of someone who didn't give a damn. That facade had quickly melted when a very attractive and curvaceous young woman appeared in front of him practically begging to be ravished. See, Hatake Kakashi was a man of honor, honor and control, but there was only so much control he could have over certain situations. Sure, the rumors said he was a notorious ladies man and was quite a catch, but that was all because of lack of information which led him to be tagged as mysterious. Kakashi hadn't ever really had enough time to ever have more than two serious relationships, and those didn't even give him the 'experience' that every woman in Konohakagure assumed he possessed. When one really thought about it, a grown man of his age didn't blush at a raunchy novel, or at least shouldn't. No, an experienced man would leer, smirk perversely, fuck around making lurid jokes, or even go back to a room and 'deal' with his excitement, but the fabled student of the Fourth Hokage did no such thing. Not many understood it so they thought he was being risqué and figuratively showing his feathers to attract sex partners, but that was not the case.

Anko, had been the one to catch on to this. A kunoichi who was as dangerous as she was beautiful, didn't rise in ranks by pure luck, she had the uncanny ability to be see things others couldn't. She never really spoke to Kakashi, but on the off chance that she did, it would be a jab at his apparel or a simple message that a higher ranked shinobi than her had sent her to deliver. He could tell it irked her being the messenger, but she had recently been demoted because of some reckless action that had completely and horrendously ruined a mission, some place in Iwa, he heard. What it was he didn't have the balls or energy to ask, a woman like Anko had too much pride, a very fragile thing in her case, strange as that may sound. Anko had been on a considerably bad mood one day when a, "stupidchuunin thought she was just eye candy," as she so eloquently put it and hadn't respected her. She had stomped up to him eyes full of rage and nails biting into her palms to drop a crumpled up envelope in his lap. He had quirked his eyebrow up at here, confused but not really interested in her dilemma, so he looked down at the message. She responded by yelling in his face, "Don't fucking give me that look you dumbass pansy! Don't try to act like you're the shit when you can barely handle not jerkin' yourself off on that shit you read all day, seriously, go to the fuckin' red light district and get yourself laid!" She finished dramatically by turning around and stomping back to wherever she came from.

He had sat there trying not to look embarrassed and speechless, and resorted to pretending he didn't see the bewildered looks that passing civilians and shinobi alike gave him. It had taken weeks of indifference after the incident and many far away assassination missions to get his 'rep' back. Of course he didn't actually care, he was Hatake Kakashi, copy-nin of more than 1,000 jutsu, but what worried him more was Gai. He had resorted to giving him these sad smiles like he felt sorry for him, no, a Hatake was good at everything, whether it was sex, or lying about sex.

Anyways back to the situation, Kakashi-sensei eyes had widened to an exuberant size, practically watering to the sudden exposure to the air. His nose hadn't bled like Naruto had expected but, his face had reddened by what he could see out of the mask, he could also see the clenched fists he had made in his pockets, a sure sign of trying to compose himself. And what really gave him a laugh was that after a few seconds of ogling his hand rushed up to shield his eyes, like some kid! It still made him grin, the infamous copy-cat ninja embarrassed by the sight of a woman was too much to take. Naruto had even walked over to Kakashi, draping herself over him and had whispered into his ear erotically, "What's wrong Kakashi-sensei? Are you in P-A-I, and had softly bit his earlobe-N?" To which he responded by giving a small whimper and had even excused himself stuttering and stumbling over himself to try and escape out the window, which failed because it had been "ninja-proofed" so he had to shamefully stumble out through the main door trying not to stare at his student on the way out. Kakashi never looked at Naruto the same way after that. _Serves that pervert right!_ He thought with glee.

Mentally returning to himself, Naruto walked out through the bush that she had been hiding in. _Might as well refer to myself as a woman, don't wanna fuck this up more than I've already have. Okay, female speech, female speech, female speech. Keep it old school._

The man who had been sulking before also straightened himself out and donned on a menacing face, hoping to scare the young woman off, "What is your business here?" he said with a deep baritone voice, almost a yell but not quite there.

Naruto of course suspected this, _sheesh, they are all the same arrogant assholes,_ "I'm sorry, but I seem to have drifted off onto uncharted territory. Do you happen to know where I am, I sure hope you won't mind me trespassing," she said, voice softer than he was used to ever using and simply stared into the eyes of the man with the ridiculous hair patiently. _He better not trap me in some stupid genjutsu, freakin' hate those. _

"You have strayed quite a ways if you have made it to this hut, if it were not for me then you might not have found help for some time," he said with the air of someone who was used to being regarded as a hero. The man's eyes did a quick survey of the woman before him and another arrogant look came across his face.

Trying her best not to snort, Naruto gave a tight smile and opened her mouth to give some lame comeback, but was rudely interrupted when her supposed savior all but yelled, "Have you no shame woman, put some footwear on!" He chastised, talking down to her like she was some submissive woman.

The accuser smirked at the woman in front of him, though he did not show it, he was surprised she was not cowering in his presence, not to forget that she was breathtakingly beautiful. It was rare to see a woman with such poise and confidence that this woman radiated, not to mention she had the most peculiar hair color he had ever seen. Numerous questions ran through his brain: from what foreign lands has she come from, was it actually yellow, or perhaps it was even gold? The way the sun made it shine almost convinced him of the latter possibility. Though what really caught his attention were her eyes, _so blue. _Being born into a family of high skill and value had led him to have quite of a few admirers, but none caught his attention for more than a few weeks, it was the eyes that always convinced him to drop relationships. If one were to strip it down and put it simply, they could say he had a fetish for eyes. These eyes were different though, he had to stop himself from starring too intently. He wondered how they would look angry, eyes were so peculiar when it came to emotions. Being the master of his own set, he liked watching how other eyes reacted to fear, joy, anger, love, sadness...insanity.

"Oh, well though I am a visitor of these lands, I am no stranger to the wilderness, I assure you I would have been perfectly fine, and my lack of shoes is my own personal choice, I find the feel of the earth beneath me rather _pleasing_," she said pleasantly, tilting her head the slightest degree to the left.

As if by book, the man simply stared at her open face trying hard not to burn holes at the exposed neck. Naruto had to keep himself from smirking, _yeah totally walked into that. _After a few seconds of what may have been an awkward silence, if Naruto gave a fuck, the uptight asshole as Naruto pegged him, cleared his throat and replied simply.

"…Yes." Then after trying to start a sentence just stopped and simply stared at her, unsure of what to do.

At this Naruto couldn't hold it back anymore as she let out a carefree laugh, which widened the eyes of the sullen man and made him a bit uncomfortable. Naruto always a joker couldn't help it. He was a woman for the time being, but to make one of the strongest people he ever had the chance to meet uncomfortable just by a subtle hint of innuendo and body language was completely ridiculous.

Figuring her fun was over she stopped suddenly and remembered the time she was in. _Oh wait. I'm like pretty much being a total flirt, isn't like showing the elbow pretty bad in itself, but to be barefoot and purposefully have the neck exposed…hm…I don't know! _He thought with dread, _let's just hope this doesn't bite me in the ass._

"Please excuse me, you surprised me and well I do enjoy laughing, you see. Now that I've had a time to relax I think I know where I am, I shall go to my friends now," With that she gave a small smile and whirled around to get away as soon as possible.

She never got to take more than two steps as he grabbed her wrist firmly and started walking briskly to the north, switching her direction completely. _Great what did I get myself into?do something and high tail it outta her! Now!_ She silently screamed to himself.

"Sir, unhand me, you are being rough with me, I will not be led around like some child," Naruto was panicking, _did he figure it out, is he gonna put me in the slammer?_ He didn't respond just gave her an irritated look and kept on walking, dragging her along.

With an exasperated sigh she warned him" Well I am sorry but I did caution you," and promptly flicked her wrist and had him laying on the ground, the look of surprise on his face made her want to gloat, but instead she leaned down and whispered menacingly, "You know, you have to treat ladies more gently than that, not only because you can harm then physically, but they can fight back and hurt you terribly as well." She gave him a rather cocky grin and with the speed that years of training gave him, blurred out of existence and ran off to anywhere that was not the here, leaving a very disgruntled grown man behind. What she didn't see though, was the smirk that was slowly appearing on his face, and the eyes glittered with amusement and excitement.

"Do you think it is that easy to run away from me, the master of the Sharingan, Uchiha Madara? Silly woman," and with that his body blurred leaving no trace of the little scuffle behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Well this is chapter two, hopefully you are not bored so far and are interested enough to keep reading, ahaha. This story may have some inconsistencies here and there so please don't let that bother you too much. It isn't mean to be 100 % canon, because that would just take so much energy that a lazy-ass like me could not handle. :P XD Also, I'm changing the way of writing it back to masculine form of referring to Naruto, sorry I kept accidently typing it that way so I might as well keep it, if this bother you please tell me, or if you prefer it one way just tell me! Thanks and enjoy! Review, por favor!

P.S.: I know Naruto should be like panicking, but let's just say that will come later, kay? Ahahahhahah

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><p>Naruto whooped with glee. "I totally knocked him out!" He laughed with delight as he tensed and jumped across a small field, landing with a 'thump' on one of the great tree's Fire country was so famous for. A familiar sense of comfort ran throughout his body as he felt the wind sweep past his. He sniffed lightly and could tell that a storm would soon descend over them. "I could use a shower," he thought jokingly. Looking down he noticed that the pristine kimono that he had started with was now smudged with dirt and torn at random spots due to the branches wiping his body. He had been running for a good half hour for good measure. It also felt good to let loose and feel his muscles strain with the force of blurring in and out of the plant life. If he really wanted to, he could throw on a simple transformation to override the last one he had put on it, but that wasn't really necessary. "Hopefully, I can get out of this getup soon, anyway," he said to no one in particular.<p>

Closing his eyes he leaned slightly against the massive tree and let his body relax. Thanks to the senjutsu training, he could feel the natural energy of the tree emanating below his, lazily flowing about his body and around anything that surrounded it. If he wished, he could open his body up and let all that invigorating yet relaxing energy flow throughout his body, strengthening his body tremendously. He wasn't about to kill some powerhouse so he simply took a 'taste' of it and shook off the rest of the energy. Sighing deeply, he languidly opened his eyes and stared out into the space before his.

It was about mid-morning so the field was illuminated nicely. It wasn't anything special, just some overgrown shrubs and weeds surrounded by looming trees. He squinted and caught a glimpse of a rabbit hop into its home. Expanding his view, he also saw a black bird swoop into the grass followed by a 'kaw!'

After staring at nothing in particular for a while he saw a sapling that caught his attention. Jumping down from the branch he had been standing on, he walked through the shrubbery and slowed until he was staring up at a young tree. It was an ordinary tree, nothing spectacular about it, but what really caught his attention were the scorch marks that marred its young trunk. He leaned closely and extended his arm and touched it tentatively. Carefully he peeled back a little of the burnt bark and revealed a clean surface below, though a bit jagged. A sense of nostalgia hit his and sent his mind reeling.

"This is….," whispering out of awe, his eyes watered. _Training field 6-a._ Naruto stumbled back and did a retake on the scenery around him. The field now had a deeper meaning to it. What was before a messy area of the forest turned into the well-kept if not roughened up training area for young shinobi. The sapling then transformed into a mighty tree, with mammoth leaves the size of his head. Now almost ten times its size, the scar remained, but not as pronounced.

_A ghost of a small child peeked out from behind it and ran past him screaming, followed by two more laughing faces, hands held out in front of them. _Naruto blinked rapidly,trying to have the mirage-like scene disappear. Nothing happened as the three kids continued to play their game of tag._ Voices of joy rang out as one of the fellow children was captured by the tallest of the three. The short boy got tackled to the ground, and screamed out with excitement as the last of the trio descended on the boy and started to tickle him vigorously. Peels of laughter erupted from the young lad as his friends continued to attack his body._

_Finally after seconds of agonizing torture, the boy held his hands up in surrender and accepted his fate. The two other children simply smirked and picked him up quickly. Mouths moved quickly babbling about some nonsense to do with action figures and candy. __Three sets of eyes lit up with glee as a verdict was reached to go beg for some delicious candy. Nodding with a determined look on all their faces, they ran off in the direction of what he imagined was the village bazaar.__Moments passed by as a young, blond-haired boy slid out behind a boulder, a limp to his step. The child looked longingly out to the recently departed trio. A small whimper escaped the boy as he stepped on a sharp rock, his bare feet giving him no protection. The blonds' legs crumpled from underneath him as his frail body could no longer hold himself up._

Naruto watched it all unfold before his, a strong emotion washed over him as knowledge of what was going to happen next hit him.

_A yound chuunin around twenty walked up to the crying child and kneeled in front of him, a smile on his face. The shinobi sat on his haunches and took the sad child into his arms, whispering reassuring thoughts into the boy's ears. The child quickly perked up and hugged the man with the biggest hug a small child could muster and gave a loud 'whoop!' The chuunin gave a kind smile and stood up and placed the child around his shoulders, and then they too walked off into the distance._

The vision wavered slightly then disappeared altogether as Naruto let himself fall and rolled unto his back. Silent tears rolling down his cheeks as he replayed incident over and over in his head. If one were to happen onto the young woman crying, they would think something terrible had just happened and would have politely excused themselves. Or if they held some courage, stay and speak to the woman and reassure her. What was actually strange about the situation was that Naruto was not sad, or even bothered in the slightest, he was happy, so happy in fact that tears poured down his face.

The flashback that he had just experienced was one of his fondest memories. It was the day that he had almost summed up enough courage to ask the village kids to play with him, but they had ran off to eat sweets. He had not had such a high self-esteem back then and had thought they had disappeared because of his presence. What reassured him that they had not run off because of him was the chuunin who had happened to stumble upon the field to witness everything play out. It was before he had met Iruka and all of his precious people. It was one of those rare moments when a villager had not begrudged him for the demon that had been forced inside, or had helped him out just to brag about it, but because that man had truly cared. He never got the name of the kind chuunin, or any other fact that could help trace him, but that memory always stuck a cord in his heart. He let his eyelids fall and was about to take a nice lone nap when something disrupted his peace.

"Woman! Where are you?" A male voice could be heard from a ways away. _Shit, it's the freakazoid from earlier!_ Trying not to have the panic show on his face, Naruto tried to think of a plan that wouldn't attract too much attention. _Okay, from the sounds of it he's about 120 meters away, so that gives me about 5 minutes to escape, unless he's determined then that gives me about 90 seconds._ He quickly calculated, hoping it was right. He had tried to be more into the mathematical sections of shinobi life, thanks to some unwilling help from Shikamaru, but at times things didn't always work a few seconds he heard some shrubs rustling, marking the target closer._ Damnit, why did it have to be Madara of all people?_

Hoping he would have enough time, he quickly set about setting up some traps just in case things got out of hand. A trip wire here, some exploding tags there, and a couple of emergency kagebunshin awaiting orders just to keep it simple. _Twenty seconds left._ With the remaining time he had left, he composed himself and laid back down in front of the scarred tree and pretended to be at peace with himself and nature. _Yeah, hope he buys it._

"Found you." Madara said. If Naruto wasn't pretending so hard to be relaxed, he could have sworn there was a hint of glee in that phrase. _That totally wasn't there, it's all in your head._

"Erh, hello, and what exactly have you found?" Naruto said, trying to be sly and gave him a grin. "The woman who layed your ass ou-I mean, who happened upon your home accidently. I was about to dose off, is there something that is wrong, I would be all to glad to help?" _Fuck, this feminine talk takes up too much energy. _He though exasperated, usually when he did go on these gender bender missions he prepared himself more. He had time to research the speech pattern, common dialects, and behavior that a certain region used. Then took several days memorizing them and incorporating them right before he left, he also had to imagine himself being a native, not just an intruder. Though that was only half of what he did, the rest had to do with that fragile thing upstairs, the right mental state was of upmost importance. Kurenai had stressed that in him most determinedly. He could just hear her voice now.

"_Naruto, being a woman isn't just all looks and trying to act cute, you must remember that this is also a type of recon mission. You are collecting data that can be vital to your survival and most importantly the help this village thrive. You can't simply transform yourself and act the way you normally do. A woman can only get away with so much. When a woman does not act the way people expect her to act, especially on a mission, attention gets drawn to her. Do you understand me? Do. Not. Attract. Attention." She had continued to lecture him on the aspects of being woman and that though it did irritate her that some men were extremely chauvinistic that he should not let that get to him or get him to lose his head._

"_Before going out to accomplish your mission you must get into the mind of a female, you can't simply act. You have to BE a woman. I recommend doing a bit of rearranging and meditating within your mind _at least_ one to two days ahead of time. It will help keep your mind stable and prevent you from breaking from character. _"_Don't worry Kurenai-san, I got this! It's like senjutsu training, boob edition!"He had laughed it off and was about to transform when Kurenai's eyes had lit up with fire and her fists had clenched audibly. That had earned him a couple bonks on the head, well that was how many he counted before he had been out of commission. He of course had apologized profusely and had made it up to her by buying her an expensive sweater made out of some cashmere material he had researched women loved._

Letting out a small sigh Naruto let his mind go still, letting past mission run through his mind, sqeezing hours of meditation into a few seconds. _Get your act together Naruto, this isn't some mission you can mess up. This is time you are screwing with, ain't no fixing this._

Focusing back on the present, his eyes took in the site before him. Uchiha Madara was staring at him way too intently, his eyes were, swear to god, glittering. His plain blue shirt and dark shorts were in perfect condition, _asshole, _his hair though was in disarray with patched of spiked bangs sticking up while the longer layers in the back were matted down by what he supposed was sweat. _Heh, can't always look so perfect now can you. I'm the son of the freakin' Yellow Flash, you can't catch me without breaking a sweat!_

"You will come with me, I didn't pardon you from my estate. I am within my right to hold you accountable for the harm you inflicted upon my property." He said with a slight uplift of the corner of his mouth.

If he hadn't been used to hanging around bastard-Uchiha's he would have missed it, and mistaken the demand and something to be feared, but being on the team with the sole survivor of the clan, these types of facial quirks were easy to spot. Translation: Uchiha Madara was amused as hell and he knew he could do whatever he wanted and no one would protest. Well fuck, if he was gonna play that card, then Naruto would sure as hell deal.

"Really? An estate in which you were about to do who knows what to a lost and terrified woman. I believe that is grounds for my own terms of having you punished. You sir, are not fairing well in terms of being a diplomat, what will my family think of such dishonorable deeds?" Naruto retorted, and tried to slide up as gracefully as possible to a sitting position; hands laid delicately on his now full bosom, brows furrowed in mock contemplation.

A flicker of something Naruto couldn't quite recognized passed through Madaras eyes as he did this. _Please tell me he's a little apprehensive, I all but accused him of attempted rape._ Naruto silently prayed. You couldn't really mess with a guy if he didn't feel bad to begin with.

Madara's head reeled back at the implications the woman before him accused him of. An Uchiha did not need to resort to such disgusting actions, women were all but throwing themselves at his feet. His mind ran a mile a minute as reasons as to why she was goading him into this situation. Was she someone to be reckoned with? 'This woman, this hellion, says she is of high authority, who would listen to her? But if she says she is a diplomat, one that speaks so loosely, then I may be treading into dangerous grounds. Could she perhaps be…of the Senju clan?' A small pang of fear ran throughout his body, was she sent here to entice him into unfavorable actions which could endanger his possibility of being village leader? He gave her another look over, but nothing about spoke of those cursed Senju attributes. The only thing that was dominantly Senju was her attitude, that will they were so damned proud of. Of course she was not of the Senju, perhaps she was not part of a clan at all.

A possible Yamanaka, but they were weak-brained fools who thought all minds were easy to probe. Besides, the Yamanaka was a barely established family, boasting no more than a few members, hardly one to fear. Her speed earlier was extremely impressive, though speed was not always of shinobi attributes, it could also be of some hobby or pastime in which a bored woman might partake in; he wasn't too sure. But other than that, nothing about her gave off the ninja vibe that most of his comrades did. There were only a handful of kunoichi, and those were medic-nin, too afraid to leave the comfort of home. What was more probable was that she was a mere visitor hoping to see the fireworks between the Uchiha and Senju. Coming to a decision, he relaxed as he pegged her to be harmless. 'Nice try, a female such as yourself could not even dream of coming up to my standards. It would have almost been worth it.' He contemplated as he stated into her eyes yet again. Such beauty wasted on a nobody. Perhaps he could have a quick romp and be done with her.

"Your lies are wasted, I do not need to waste so much time with a woman like you. Your connections, or whatever they may be will provide me with a good laugh, let's be quick about it and get it over with." He gave her a self-assured smile as he bent down to grab her arm.

Naruto stared at the man as if he grew another head. Was he fuckin' serious? _So he thinks I'm some poor woman trying to get into his pants? Well, let's see if he likes this._

With the swiftness that only a well trained shinobi could attain, Naruto whipped out his hand and slapped the irritating bastard twice before leaping over the confused Uchiha and hit him upside the head. _It's on, bitch. If I could just punch that grin off your face…_

"Did that connect well with you, hm? I might have you a bit hard, perhaps you should lie down?" Naruto all but mocked him, his voice all but dripped with sarcasm, "Here, let me help you," he said with a sugary sweet voice then aimed a kick for his head. _To hell with all this bullshit._

To his surprise, Madara spun on his heel and caught her dainty foot, with a bruising grip. 'So she is trained,' He thought, perhaps this woman was not so harmless after all, perhaps she could provide him with entertainment other than carnal pleasure. He grabbed her leg with both arms and swung her towards the nearest tree. 'Well, not so well trained if she couldn't stop that.' He thought, trying to hide his disappointment. Not bothering to look back he waited for the 'crack' of her body hitting the wood. Silence was all that followed. "Well, perhaps I didn't throw her far enough," turning around to see his work, his face was met with a punch so severe, that it sent him into the trees.

Naruto smiled as he saw Madara crash into the forest and knock down two trees. _Damn, I was aiming for four._ He all but pouted as he saw the dark head of hear bob up from the debris.

"Hey, don't underestimate me! I may be a woman but weak is weak, know what I mean?" He yelled across to him, hands cupped around his mouth. With that said he expected some fireball jutsu aimed his way, but all he saw was Madara's head laid against a broken branch. _Maybe I killed him._

Dusting his kimono off, he made his way to the site of the crash to see what was up. About halfway there he froze as he felt a familiar chakra surge. Turning his head slightly, he was met with a pair of Sharingan eyes, then everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! Wow, has it been four months already? Time does fly by these days….ehehehe. Yeah sorry about that, been busy as hell these past few months, what with finals, work, and other duties. So yeah, here's the latest chapter for PUD. Ahaha sounds weird..PUD… Anyways, here's the latest BS that I thought of so maybe you'll like it? Ahahah. So yeah, most of this stuff might be a bit out of character and not very cannon so don't get too butthurt if it doesn't go like what the manga says. .

Just to clear up:

_Italics are people thinking._

Roman is regular scene and description blah blah blah.

"Quotations" is of course people "talking."

Any other one that randomly pop up should be self-explanatory.

ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ

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><p>Naruto awoke. With one of the biggest headaches in his life. Considering much of what he's been through, that was said a few things about his predicament. Though, Naruto did not awake on a dungeon floor, or a comfy bed, or hell, not even chained up as he was accustomed to, but on tatami mats with blankets covering his body.<p>

"Wah…?" He said slowly then shot up as a cold pressure was applied to his exposed jugular. The sudden jump caused straw-colored blankets and bandages to fly everywhere. Grabbing the imposing whatever-it-was, Naruto made quick work of tackling it to the ground and safely securing its movements. All the while the sleeping materials slowly drifted to the floor to land harmlessly on him and the soon-to-be deadman, which was really hairy by the way.

_Wait, not even Ero-sensei was this hairy. Might help if I actually take a look at this damned thing. _Naruto thought , as he quickly grabbed the blanket and whipped it off them.

What confronted his eyes made gave him a worse headache than before.

"Woof?" A dog. Great.

Quickly Naruto let go of the canine, who was now wagging its stump of a tail at him, seemingly having forgotten that he was about ten seconds away from dying. Taking a look at the dog, which ne noticed was not a menacing shinobi at all, but a long-haired, ashy colored mutt with a long snout and short tail. All Naruto could do was sigh. "You are one ugly dog," he whispered to the mutt. Which only caused the said dog to wag its tail harder and let out a loud, "Arrf!"

"I'm not complimenting you!" He yelled, but squatted down and started petting him and scratching him behind the ears none the less; which was rewarded by a very furious face licking. Naruto let out a small chuckle and whipped the slobber off with his bandaged hand.

_Woah, back up, back up, back up, when was I ever injured?_ Finally taking a look at his surroundings, _which I should have done the second I woke up, _Naruto noticed the small room he was in. It was about the same size as his bedroom in the old apartment he used to live in. Almost 14x16 he could estimate. The light coming in through the windows was clear and bright, typical mid afternoon weather, _so I'm guessing its lunch time._ He thought as his stomach gave a fierce growl and proceeded to annoy the fuck out of him.

Slowly getting up and stretching out all the kinks throughout his body he surveyed the room in more detail. The walls were bare, as the floor, as well as the ceiling. No signs of life other than the mutt were in the room. He looked down to take a closer look at the bandages. Picking them up in his hands he noticed they were pristine white and extremely flexible, very good bandages to say the least. He slowly popped his neck and turned around. "Ugh, man! I feel so much better!" he exclaimed as he did a few quick stretches.

Spotting a table in the otherwise empty room he noticed a folded piece of brown paper on it. Walking slowly he looked down at the neat and precise writing of what he assumed was the prick who knocked him out. _Who was it again….Holy shit! Uchiha-fucking-Madara, that's who! What if I'm in a genjutsu ever since I 'woke up.' Maybe I'm dead!_ This stopped him, a shiver ran through his body, but then he thought back to the small scuffle between him and Madara_. Nah, I'm too awesome. _Picking up the paper he read the 'greeting' he supposed, addressed to: WOMAN.

You are in one of my smaller estates.

You have by now been bandaged and rested.

Do not leave the room. Do not cause a commotion.

Or I _will_ handle you.

No signature no ending, just a threat. "Well, _excuse _me!" Letting out an annoyed huff Naruto crumpled up the paper and threw it into a corner of the room. "Like I'm going to wait around here all day, fuck that." He cursed loudly, Naruto hated being bored. In fact he was rarely bored at all, between the training, the mission taking, and over all hanging with his friends and comrades, there really wasn't time to be bored. Well, maybe an hour here or there he admitted to no one in particular. That's how he had picked up this bad swearing habit. A man with nothing to do usually led to bad things. Speaking of which,"Where is Madara?"

_Is he watching me; analyzing me?_ Subconsciously he looked over his shoulder, hoping to find a clue of the perpetrator in question. Nope, still nothing in sight. Looking down at the dog, he noticed he was wearing a red collar. _Of course. _"Who knew the Uchiha took pets? I bet they keep you 'til you're all fat and eat you." He taunted and patted the top of the dogs head. He only whined and sat down on its haunches.

Letting out another carefree laugh Naruto just smirked, "kidding!" Looking over the sliding doors he decided he was going to hi-tail it out of there. With a determined shoulder tensing, he started to stride over, hand in mid-air ready to open his gateway to freedom.

"You know, when a man tells you to stay put, you follow his orders." A deep voice said from behind him.

Whipping around he stood in a battle stance, ready for whatever the Uchiha was going to throw his way. _I didn't even sense him._

"I only take orders from those worthy of it," he said slowly, words filled with anger. _Can't really admit that I take orders from a Hokage that doesn't exist._ All Madara did was raise his brow._ Fuckin' Uchiha's, I especially don't take orders from you._

"And what determines such a high esteem? A dog perhaps?" He motioned towards the dog at his feet, which stood up and followed the hand and started licking it generously. Then without warning he grabbed the dog by his collar and threw him through the door. Causing both sliding doors to crumble and fall. A whimper was heard amongst the rubble.

Naruto's eyes widened, his hands clenched at his sides. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you as stupid as you look?" He shouted, his female voice making the end of his shout more like a high-pitched screech. He quickly turned around and ran towards the door, pushing pieces of random rice paper and wood aside hoping to find the dog. _Exposing my back to save a dog, well, I can take him if I need to if all he can do is fight like in the meadow._ Subconsciously Naruto knew that if it wasn't for the era or the way he had surprised the man, he wouldn't have gotten very far. He had to remind himself that this was one of strongest Uchiha in existence, who's eyes and skills could probably snuff him out in no time. But Naruto didn't want to admit it to himself so he continued to look for a sign of life.

Getting to the bottom of the pile he found nothing but the collar. "What…" He whispered, other than that, there was no sign of the dog, not even a lose shaggy clump of fur.

"Foolish woman, there never was a dog, it was merely a genjutsu." He said with the voice of such authority that just pissed Naruto off causing him to glare daggers at him. "Perhaps you do not know what that means?" Madara crossed his arms, ready to lecture. "Let me explain, it is an image or ill-"

"I know what it means." He cut him off coldly. _ To think that I fell for a lame-ass illusion like that. Get it together Naruto, a badass jounin like yourself doesn't fall for these tricks anymore._

Uchiha Madara simply stood there, chin tilted upwards, hands crossed in front of him; the poster boy for arrogant asses. Now if Naruto had been his younger self, he would have launched himself at him, damned the results of who won. But that was the old Naruto, though he still had problems with his anger and with rushing into things, he had better grasp on them. He would behave like the diplomat that he supposedly set himself up for and fight with his words not his fists.

"Are you satisfied?" Naruto asked simply, staring at the man quizzically, letting out a small taste of killing intent. Subtle enough that you wouldn't exactly notices, but strong enough to set an uneasy feeling about the room.

"What do you mean?" Madara said apprehensively, arms slowly uncrossing. _That's right, you do not have the upper hand._

"With this," he motioned with his arms, spread out, "this whole manipulative, useless ploy? I don't see a point for all this tom-foolery. Do men like you like to waste chakra on self-assigned missions that do no good?" He said, crossing his own arms across his chest, resting slightly under breasts that were hidden from view thanks to the tight kimono.

An unsure look passed though Madara's eyes as he considered the question.

* * *

><p>ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ<p>

He watched the woman watch him, eyes intense with not anger but with determination. _What are you trying to get at?_

She slowly started to circle him, very carefully, close enough to see the expressions on her face, but not too far as to have the necessary proximity to grab her in an attempt to subdue her. _She is extremely well-trained. _He thought, not many ninja in general remembered to keep the 'minimum radius' that older shinobi tried to teach the new and wet behind the ear trainees. Stay out of it and you could still fight or escape, but stay within it and close combat was all you could try, or die if you got lucky.

He slowly shifted in the direction she walked as to not keep his back to her. _I must take her seriously. _Or what, he thought; what could this woman do to me? He came to a sudden realization. He took in her demeanor, her stance, her eyes, and lastly, tasted the killer intent that had now intensified. Intensified so much so, and with such a degree that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. _She could…kill me._ He thought with wonder, almost awe. He had seen the way she had handled herself with the dog. Two seconds. That's how long it had taken her to react, analyze, summarize, and execute a decision. This woman, this _kunoichi_ was what the name entailed. A killer. This would have angered him in any other case. A person, let alone a woman who could possibly take him down was an insult to his pride, his training, and his family. This was different though, he had assessed the situations they had been in and the ways she reacted.

ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ***************************** ᴥ ᴥ

Thinking back to the meadow, he thought of the way she had been laying in the grass. At first he thought he had caught her by surprise, his ego getting in the way of seeing the actual potential for death that had been waiting for him. As they had their small battle, it was not 'til he was up out of the trees he had destroyed to notice the trip wire laid throughout the field. Two were six meters to his left, while a deathly kunai trap was hidden underneath a weak genjutsu fourteen meters to his northeast. Stepping out of the rubble, he also noticed fifty exploding tags, slightly exposed, and those were only the ones he spotted. A thrill of excitement once again ran through his body. _She knew I would find her. Was she hoping for it?_ He observed all this as he strengthened the genjutsu he had cast ever since he was sent flying.

He watched her as she neared the place of his supposed defeat. He caught a snippet of what she was yelling towards him, something about being weak when he realized he had enough of this. With a quick chakra surge he activated his Sharingan, this caused the woman to turn quickly, catching her eyes quickly, he sent of pin point, needle like command to her chakra system, _cease_

Causing her body to interpret is as a forced faint he caught her quickly and threw her over his shoulder. As expected, she was very light and had no problem walking towards his destination, no need to waste chakra on a body flicker or transportation jutsu.

Arriving upon his destination he looked upon the small housing estate his family had given him for a birthday years past. Though he in part was leader of the Uchiha along with the occasional help from his brother Izuna, their parents still gifted them on occasions. The dark roof and matching walls helped it blend in at night, but during the day it was a bit imposing. It was sizable for a man but not to big as to attract attention, it was about a half a day's walk from the main estate or about four hours if you were in a hurry. The hose was mainly composed of three independent rooms connected by hallways. The biggest one, facing the main estate was his training dojo, while the smaller two were for basic sleeping and leisure activities. His parents had offered a small number of attendants to care for the place, but he had rejected it, in order to keep himself more private. He did send them once every other week to make sure the garden and spring was taken care of.

The spring was a small one to say the least, after some testing and experimentation, his family had deemed it safe and had laid down a small wooden barrier behind the housing and around the spring as to keep animals and unwanted guests away. He would come at least once a month to absorb the minerals and mediate for whatever he needed. He could say it was one of his most favorite attributes.

He walked up the few steps there was and into one of the basic rooms he rarely went into. He removed the cargo on his shoulder and set all his armor and shoes in a convenient cubbyhole his attendants had put in for him a few weeks ago. Setting the woman on her back he positioned her in the middle of the room, not really knowing what to do with her. Taking a quick look over her body he didn't notice any sizeable injuries, so he simple stood there observing her.

The soft huff of her breath was about the only noise that alerted him than anyone besides himself was there. He noted the once beautiful kimono was now covered in patches of dirt and ripped at the sleeves and hem. Her scarlet obi had also begun to unwind with the rest of her garments and was lying underneath her like a violent slash of blood.

He also noticed that thanks to her lose clothing, he could take a look at the swell of her breast and the way the matched her breathing. His eyes trailed up to look at the smooth expanse of her neck and the farther upwards to the soft pink lips, parted slightly. He subconsciously looked away, he was used to females laying themselves down for him but this felt wrong, so he simple walked to the table only piece of furniture in the room and opened up the drawer underneath and picked out the few bandages he had in the house. Closing it slowly he continues to sit himself close to the woman and bandage her left hand, which he noticed had a very deliberate kunai slash from her thumb to her pinkie. It seemed a few hours old, surely not from their scuffle earlier, but form something before. _I wonder, nameless woman, are you here to cause havoc?_

ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ

ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ***************************** ᴥ ᴥ

Having his thoughts return to the present, Madara once again assessed the female before him. He had come up with one main point. She was a true kunoichi. A person who could smile but cut with her eyes, cry but fill your lungs and drown you, lightly slap you but shatter your bones, that was the essence of the way of the ninja. Being subtle but deadly at the same time, that is what it took. Many shinobi took different way of achieving this success, whether it be by hiding behind loud words, or masking yourself with flashy clothes, but not her, she was like the belladonna he had heard of in the far way lands. Simply and pretty to look at, but one taste could send you into a delirious state of hell and death. There was only few ways not to succumb to its enchantments, but to ignore it, or carefully dissect and examine it to learn its ways. He realized he had stopped moving with her and was just staring into space, which was soon filled with her wicked face, eyes closed smiling mischievously at him. "Now, what do you have to say about that?" She said almost too cheerfully.

N-nothing." He slowly stuttered out. _I cannot be too careful._ He had to swallow his pride take a low hit, and take this woman as seriously as he would any man, and any trained shinobi. _Why does she make me so nervous? She does not even own up to Izuna's strength and skill yet I am frightened by her. Why?_

ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ

* * *

><p>"N-nothing." He heard Madara say.<p>

Surprised and struck by the blunt answer, Naruto took a step back. He was expecting a cocky answer and death threat, not this, an obvious answer that didn't require yelling or more argumentation.

"Nothing…" He slowly repeated to himself pensively. Naruto looked down at his dirt stained feet and then up towards the man with the deadly eyes. Being sure to avoid his gaze and stare at his neck, Naruto lifted his left hand and laid it gently on Madara's shoulder. "Then why," he gripped it harder," do you waste," his other hand mirrored the left and slowly made their way towards his collarbone, "your time doing it?" He said as he applied enough pressure to be uncomfortable on the man that would screw his future over.

So close to the man Naruto was that he could almost hear the thump-thump of Madara's heart, whether it was nervousness or something else he didn't know, he only knew one thing. He was _thisclose_ to breaking his collarbone and kicking his ass. The only fact holding him back was that he knew, _just knew,_ that killing him would muddle up his future and the future of Konoha even more that help fix it. No matter what anger he had towards the Tobi/Madara of the future, this Madara had done nothing wrong besides be an asshole. He had heard that one time Uchiha Madara hadn't that bad of a guy, a jerk at times and power hungry, but he had supposedly been trying to protect his clan. And who can blame a man who would do anything to protect those he cared for?

Letting out a long sigh, Naruto released the hold he had on the man, which he was pretty sure Madara could have broken if he wanted to, then stepped back and dared to look at his eyes. _Even bastards deserve a chance._ _It's up to you scumbag, one wrong move and I _gladly _kill you._

"You know what. Prove me all that was for naught, who are you, and what do you want form me?" He asked almost hopelessly. He crossed his arms once again and leaned back, putting his weight on his right leg and waited for an answer.

Speaking frankly Madara answered, "I am Uchiha Madara, leader of the Uchiha Clan, and I want…I want to get to _know _you," he said almost as hopelessly. Almost as if he himself was also unsure of the answer. He stepped up to the woman and motioned to her, "Who are you and what do you want from me?" he repeated.

Naruto tried not to smirk, he was not expecting and almost 'want-to-be-my-friend' request; how juvenile. Well, Naruto was good with juvenile, hell, if the bastard turned out to be good and he fixed up his fucked up demeanor, he might even fix the Uchiha clan and all their angst at the same time. He smiled with all his teeth and scratched the back of his neck, "Well, that's easy, I'm Naruto, and I guess we'll find out what I want later," he said loudly and stuck out his hand. Which Madara took apprehensively and shook.

_If I play my cards right, there'll be no more pissy Uchihas, no more better-than-thou attitude, no more Akatsuki and no more trouble for future Konohagakure. What could go wrong? _Naruto thought happily as he set himself a new goal, besides, he was good at this, Madara couldn't be that fucked up.

ᴥ

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><p>ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ ᴥ<p>

Okay well that was chapter three. It was more for setting the goal for this fic maybe? Who knows. I was going to include the reason Naruto ended up there in the first place [which you guys have been asking for] but when I finished writing it, it seemed more as its own chapter or at least no this one, so yeah, sorry! But it's written so all I have to do is copy and paste right? Ahaha, well yeah. Hope you like it, review if you do and tell me what you think.

Next chapter is going to be up maybe sooner, I don't know, my upcoming semester is going to be real busy so I'll see what I can do. :P Hope you had an awesome Holiday celebration and hope your new year's goes even better! Keep tight to your resolutions!

~miscmist


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again~

Do you hate me yet? Ahaha, sorry, like forever later I'm posting something up, once I again I must remind you I am laaaaaazy.

I'm trying though, I really am, I need to at least post enough so that I don't forget where I'm going with this, ahahah, that would be awkward now wouldn't it? ANYways, here is the newest chapter, still in the same location so don't kill me it's not too juicy, but I wanted them to get to know each other just a little bit. Well I hope you like it and review and tell me what you think. [Kindly of course :]

P.S.: I haven't read Naruto since the Kage Summit, so again, this might not be exactly cannon, so be aware, thanks!

* * *

><p>For first dates, Naruto could say this was one of the lousiest. He hadn't gone on many bad dates in his time, seeing as how awesome and badass he was, but to put it lightly this was a lousy date. To make a simple list of why it was so horrid, here's how Naruto sorted it out: he was now a woman; was at this 'date' against his will; in a different time period; in an isolated area; with a dangerous man; and to top it all off, he was drinking tea. <em>Fucking tea.<em>

Though Naruto new the health benefits that tea provided and at times the taste wasn't so bad, he just_ hated _it. He hated how he had to wait for it to steep or whatever they called, he hated the after taste that got stuck in the back of his throat and also burned, but most of all, what he really despised was the forced and uncomfortable conversations that always seemed to come up whenever he partook in this beverage. This current situation had to be the winner of awkward conversations of them all.

"This estate belongs solely to me."

Looking up from his intense staring of the dark cup before him Naruto nodded slowly.

"That's nice.

A minute of silence later.

"Did you…uhm, build it?"

"No."

"Oh." _Of course._

After a few more pregnant seconds, and no continuation of the topic, Naruto looked back down at the offensive liquid. A few small ripples flowed through the small cup layered before him. _What am I supposed to talk about? "Oh hey, so about not being a weirdo, how 'bout you stop and become a good guy?"_ Yeah, for some reason that didn't sound like it would work.

Sighing softly, Naruto braced himself and lifted the slowly cooling cup to his lips. _Just a sip, maybe it's actually good, maybe its ramen flavor. Uh-huh, right._ Finally making up his mind he parted his lips to let the warm liquid flow into his mouth; and ended up almost choking to death in the process.

Madara quickly got up from the other side of the only table in the room and quickly stepped to her side.

"It's okay, I'm fine, no help necessary." Naruto said between coughs and gasps for air.

Staring down at her apprehensively, he didn't budge.

After a few deep steadying breaths, Naruto wiped the few tears that had appeared at the corner of his eyes and smiled up at him. "See, perfectly fine, it's going to take a lot more that a cup of bitter tea to kill me, remember?" Though it started out nice enough, the last few words came out a little slower and laced with a subtle reminder of the power this 'slip of a woman' could do.

Madara's body language didn't give anything away, but Naruto noticed a slight tensing around the eyes. "Yes, I remember." After a few tense seconds Naruto sighed once more. _Stop pushing his buttons and start being nice._ It was hard, seeing as how he was kind of a dick, but Naruto didn't befriend some of the most powerful people in the shinobi world with his looks and asshole behavior… Or maybe he sort of did, but being a woman changed that, he had to be powerful and threatening in subtle ways, not only that but he had to use his feminine charm.

He motioned towards the spot in front of him and smiled softly this time, "Please, let's start over." This went on for a little longer with his arm extended, and the Uchiha staring at him, but no movement occurred. Finally having enough, Naruto quickly stood up from under that table and to Madara's concealed surprise, pressed his palms to his back and pushed him towards his original position. "Okay, now, sit," he said sternly and tugged down on his shirt. Madara didn't budge. If Naruto didn't know any better he'd swear he was screwing with him. _What Uchihas do best._

"_Sit._" He said more forcefully his time, emphasized by pressing down on his shoulders.

"I prefer to stand." Madara said looking off into the distance.

"What? If I do remember correctly, you forced me to sit and have tea with you." Naruto all but seethed. His hands now in front of him, clasped together tightly, trying desperately to uphold the feminine stance. _Keep calm._

"I clearly said it was close to tea time." Madara said calmly.

The corner of Naruto's mouth twitched, "Oh, yeah, my bad."

All the man did was slightly turn his head and give her a strange look, "Your bad?"

_Laaaanguage. No slang, you must stick to character. Let's see, I need to have a background._ Naruto reprimanded himself. "It's a common phrase in my little village. It means that I acknowledge a mistake or something of the sort. As you might know, I'm not native to these lands." Naruto said as smoothly as possible and bounced on his feet; forcing another smile onto his face, hoping that the feminine features would subdue the suspicion.

"Now please, let's sit." He said and once again motioned towards the floor.

"My decision stays the same." The frustrating man said coldly and simple brushed a bang out of his face, face still slightly showing amusement and facing the wall as if contemplating something.

_Okay tough guy, I tried._ Having enough of this game, Naruto decided to use physical force. With his lightning fast reflexes, Naruto quickly shot out his leg and kicked Madara behind his knees, all the while at the same time flowing chakra to his hands and slamming down on his shoulders and forcing him to the floor. To his satisfaction, the Uchiha didn't react soon enough so he ended up on the ground with a stunned look on his face; a simple "oof" slipping out of his mouth.

"Now, let's be civil and get to know each other." Naruto commented sweetly as he leaned next to him and gave him a sickly sweet smile.

"Sound good?"

Madara clenched his teeth and tensed his right arm. _Shit!_ Naruto thought quickly and jumped over the table and landed across the room, hands at the ready.

Looking across the room he didn't see any sign of the Uchiha. A second later a fist slammed into his right shoulder and he was sent flying towards the delicate shoji doors. Bracing for the fall, he slammed his hands on the tatami mats right before hitting the doors and spun his legs in a quick scissor-like fashion, which resulted in two quick gusts of wind headings towards Madara. Having seen the motion Madara jumped over the first one and landed lightly on his feet, all the while doing a quick succession of hand movements. Though he didn't get to finish whatever deadly jutsu he planned on using as the second gust of wind hit him square in the chest and sent him flying into the small courtyard outside, landing on a pile of ornamental rock.

Giving him no time to recuperate, Naruto appeared in a blur above his head and slammed his fist into the space next to his head, grazing his ear and causing the rocks to split and crack under the pressure.

Before Madara could get any move in, Naruto let out a low giggle and patted him on the cheek, "I guess I win this match. Calm down, buddy." He said lightly and once again patted him on the cheek. _Please don't freak out. Get it together. _Madara only lay there, stiff as a board, face obscured by his overgrown bangs.

Tired of hovering over him, Naruto released his arm from next to his head and sat down on his chest, crossing his legs and making himself comfortable.

"I do hope you're not upset, it is fun sparring with you." Naruto said cheerfully and looked down at Madara's face and patted him on the chest, hoping to see a positive sign.

All he could see was a slightly flushed look on what he could see of his face, the eyes and part of his nose were covered by his messy hair. "Uchiha-san?" He said a little nervously, and slowly bent down to uncover his face. Next thing he knew he was looking into a pair of very amused eyes. _I don't think a woman should be on her back as much as I have been. _Naruto though wryly, and tried to get up, only to be met by the once again, boulder that is Uchiha Madara. He all of a sudden was aware that he was lying on the ground with the said boulders legs on either side of his very female body, not to mention that once again, his clothes were in a disarray and the material of 'her' kimono was practically around her thighs.

A smirk slowly spread onto Madara's face and with a very intense almost scary full out smile, he got off of her and offered her a hand, and even did his best not to look at her legs. _Take it, don't be a dick._ Naruto thought to himself, this was no time to be prideful, he knew a peace offering when he saw one. Scoffing under his breath, he took the offered hand and helped himself up, letting the kimono slide down and dusting himself off.

"Yes, I suppose it is fun." Madara said slyly and did a quick head shake to rearrange his hair, in what came off as sort of girly to him but he wasn't going to say that outloud.

"Do you spar often?" Naruto asked with actual interest.

After a short pause, Madara answered with caution, "Yes, mostly with…my brother."

"A brother? Oh how fun, I have never had a chance to spar with a sibling." Seeing a guarded look on Madara's face, Naruto figured it was a good time as any to tie himself to the Uchiha. _I need to get an excuse to be with him daily, enough personal time to be an influence to him. Perhaps he might be a sparring buddy?_ Naruto thought with excitement, just because he wanted to reform Madara, didn't mean he had to do in some boring way. Hopefully his gender would not cause the Uchiha to decline in some sort of chauvinistic display. _Hell, that's how it worked with Sasuke. _He thought, trying not to become nostalgic.

"But you do think we could benefit from how you say, meeting up and training with each other? I mean, basic matches, nothing too specific." Naruto said quickly, he didn't want Madara to think he was out to steal his family's secret style or movement. God only knew how crazy Uchiha's were about that sort of thing.

"Perhaps. I do see the advantage."

"So, maybe we should do this, like every day." Naruto said, smiling, all the while lightly messing with the sleeve of the kimono, and softening his eyes. _Time to use the charm._

Naruto expected to see an effect on Madara, but was surprised to see an actual blush spread on his face. He took a step closer and did the head cocking thing this guy seemed to like, "Is that a yes? Though I do know the fact I am a woman might intimidate you, but please, don't let that sca-"

"That would be interesting." Madara quickly said and stepped back, softly clearing his throat; clearly affected by his feminine charms. _Wow, this might be easier than I thought._ Naruto thought with excitement.

"But I cannot have you come in that clothing." He said all the while give her a very slow once over. _Or not._

"Hm, yes, I'd see how it might get in the way." Naruto said thoughtfully, "I'll have to find suitable garments." _I did see a nice house a few minutes from where I met him. They might not notice a few missing shirts or shorts._

"Before any arrangements are made, I do have one inquiry. How does a woman such as yourself learn movements like those, what clan do you belong to, also, what was the business you were in my territory for? I believe you have not elaborated just yet," said Madara.

Once again the suspicion leaked back into his voice, and Naruto groaned inwardly. _Best to get this outta the way now._ "Yes, you didn't exactly give me time to explain myself," he said coyly and forced out a soft laugh when he saw Madara flinch. Spotting a bench looking thing made out of wood a few steps away, Naruto made his way towards it and sat down, hoping to buy some time to make up a cover story.

"Okay, let's see, I'm here for business….and uh….from my village, by myself…oh god, what else…ugh. For opening a business! People were interested in that sort of thing right?" Naruto quickly scanned his brain for anything that he might have learned of the time before Konoha was actually formed."Damnit, that won't work, this was a time in which clans had exclusive camps and didn't exactly let outsiders in." Wracking his brain for a plausible back story, Naruto found one that might sound reasonable. "Okay okay, I think I got it, I'm some rebellious daughter of some diplomat who sort of deals with ninjas, but not really, and I'm exploring the countryside before I am married off, nice! I hope that's not too suspicious." Naruto said quietly to himself, he was never really good at lying to people, but being a ninja sort of made you hone that particular skill. Unfortunately, Naruto had a lot of work to do in this particular area, so he hoped he could play it off as well as the missions he was used to taking. After composing himself, Naruto peered over at the man that was now seated next him and cleared his throat.

"You see it all started when my father told me it was time to get married…."

After almost half an hour of bullshitting and answering Madara's infuriatingly specific questions, it seemed that he was satisfied with his back story and wasn't suspicious anymore.

What he had ended up with was this: on her twenty-second birthday her father had decided to drop the marriage dilemma on her. Either ascend into the political field as a representative for her family full-time, or wed one of the local and wealthy politicians. Deciding to strike out against her diplomatic father, she had refused and had threatened to renounce her name and her political positions. Seeing how she was the only heir, her father was all but mortified. In order to escape and get her way, she had bargained with him and had asked for a couple months off to let her explore the land before she had to make any sort of decision. He had conceded of course, as long as she let an entourage be with her at all times. She had agreed and had set off to pack her things, only to leave two days earlier than expected by herself and had left the group of her father's people in the dust. Madara had seemed slightly amused and mostly kept quiet except for his questions. Such as how far away was the village? About a week's walk away. How long before she had to return? A couple of months. Where did she learn those moves? Private tutors and teachers in order to protect herself from any future attempted assassinations; which seemed to pique the interest of the Uchiha. What clan did she belong to? Well, seeing as how her village only occasionally dealt with ninja's but weren't actually trained to be one themselves, there was only the rare few who took up that lifestyle, and didn't consider their family name a clan structure. And so forth, he had seemed sated after a few other questions so Naruto felt that he was in the clear. He even felt proud of himself, it usually took some briefing and about two days to prepare himself for undercover missions like this, but it wasn't going bad, in fact Naruto thought it was safe to ask Madara questions about _his_ family.

"I believe I have taken up a lot of time talking about myself, you have yet to contribute to this conversation." Naruto teased lightly and turned his big blue eyes at him.

"Well, as mentioned before, I am part of the great Uchiha Clan, the strongest and most brilliant clan in all the lands." Madara said proudly, notably puffing out his chest.

"Really? I think I have heard of that name before, but my village does not really involve themselves with ninja clans too much, so I couldn't be too sure."

"There are many rumors about our family, but one cannot trust too much what they say. Those damned Senju's probably spread the worst of them." The anger showed clearly in Madara's voice as he said this. _Okay, so the good 'ol Senju's aren't his best friends._ Naruto noted, and in the back of his mind he sort of knew, thinking back to the Valley of the End and the catastrophe those two powerhouses had caused must have been rooted in this hate for each other.

"Senjus? Is that another ninja clan?" Naruto asked naively.

"They are of no importance. To speak their name in the same breath of an Uchiha is deplorable." He then kept going on as how certain clans were strong in one area but were completely useless in others, and pretty much kept saying how Uchiha's were the best.

_Ugh, fuckin' Uchihas, you are a pain in everyone's ass. _Looking up at the future cause of much unwanted suffering, Naruto couldn't help but notice that Madara seemed extremely young. Sure there were bruises here and there in what he assumed were form their earlier struggles, and there were slight bags under his eyes in what he wrote off as a restless night, but that didn't distract the youthfulness that was Madara. His skin was fair and void of any obvious wrinkles. There was a glitter to his eyes that most ninja don't keep past their mid-twenties, and not to mention that at times, when he slipped from his arrogant mask, there was an animated feel about him. _He can't be more than twenty._ He could see how woman longed for this powerful and admittedly attractive man. Women always seemed to dig the dark ones; well men too, he added.

Once again Naruto thought about his sexuality, if someone would have told him that a few years out of the academy he'd be sleeping with guys and not hate it, he would have farted in his their face and get a couple punches in, but now he understood the complexity of human sexuality. It wasn't like he thought himself of a pervert or anything close to that, but experimenting with women and men was just so fun for Naruto. What he felt with a woman, especially during sex was mind blowing, and hell, it was ridiculously complicated and almost if not even more pleasurable when he _was_ the woman, but he could also fell that way with the few men that he had been with, it wasn't all black and white with him. He chuckled slight in his mind, the Kyuubi rumbling distantly as well, commenting on how humans complicated things. Rubbing the back of his neck, he agreed, though he hadn't communicated with the fox for a while, it felt good to hear him here and there. Which brought him back to the present and the man sitting next to him. Internally shaking himself off his observations of the young Uchiha and his own nature, Naruto focused back on what the conversation was leading to; him playing stupid.

"Ninja politics sound very complex." Naruto said lamely, hoping that it matched whatever Madara was talking about. Madara simple nodded firmly.

Hoping to switch the conversations, Naruto was hoping to actually get into the town or village, or camp that all these Uchiha's were clustered in. To say he was curious was an understatement, but he also wanted to take advantage of what it had to offer. Maybe he could find someone or something that would give him a clue as to how to switch Madara's twisted point of view.

"You know, as a man of a noble family, you have yet to entertain your host properly," Naruto mentioned and patted his stomach for emphasis, it had been almost eight hours since he had eaten anything besides that bitter tea.

Almost as if on strings, Madara stood up suddenly and fluidly, an almost embarrassed look on his face. He took a couple of seconds to himself and it seemed that he was working something out, what it was Naruto was oblivious to, but a few moments later he seemed to reach a conclusion and gave a cocky smirk. "My home may be grand in its own way, but it is not meant for many, or for entertaining. I do believe it is time to take you to the center of our compound." The smirk stayed on his face and his eyes glittered with what Naruto hoped was mild excitement.

"Are you ready to meet the rest of the Uchiha's?"

Naruto's eyes widened and he could feel the adrenaline start pumping through his body. _The Uchiha compound. No allies, no known infrastructure. This is gonna be big._ Naruto thought apprehensively, he had to play this game very carefully, though he might have put this one man at ease, there were sure to be others that just might catch on to her little façade and might even label her a spy. He sort of was, but hey, he was trying to help, honestly; but man did he want to go see how it all started. The nervousness was there flowing throughout his body, but what followed was the eagerness to experience something that no one still alive had the chance to, Naruto had to hold himself back from grinning like crazy.

What he did in turn was get up slowly, pat his kimono in place and smile softly at Madara, "I do hope I am, it would be quite uncomfortable if I were to upset anyone," and with that Madara actually full out chuckled and laid his hand gently on her waist and guided her into the woods in what he assumed was their compound.

"Well, our clan is full of completely understanding individuals." A simple sentence, but Naruto couldn't help but shiver slightly, part of that eagerness again, part nervousness, and a whole big part of, _what the fuck am I walking into?_


	5. Chapter 5

miscmist here~

Just like I promised, I have the chapter out by the end of the week. I can't say I'll be able to do it all the time but I'll try, at least every two weeks.

Anyways, as a gift for being gone so long and apologizing for lack of updates I have made this chapter twice as long! Yeah, that's right baby, eat it up.

I hope you enjoy, it was pretty fun writing this chapter. :D

Sorry if there's any typos or anything, I've proofread too much to notice some. :B

Please read and review, they cheer me up and encourage me to write even more. *hint hint* Ahahaha.

Thanks!

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><p>"No, I don't have any other siblings; I'm an only child you see, so when you spoke about your brother I must admit I was a bit jealous. Being the only heir to a political family is quite troublesome sometimes; it can tire you out." Naruto replied, Madara had asked a little about her family hoping to fill in the gaps of silence on their way to the central Uchiha territory. Whether their physical closeness or the conversation, or perhaps just their charisma, Naruto could almost feel their relationship begin to morph into a more friendly one.<p>

He only snorted, an arrogant look plastered on his face. _And down the drain it goes. _Naruto stopped walking, he couldn't believe his ears. Did Madara actually think that she was less of a person just because she wasn't a ninja? Well, sure, maybe in this whacked out reality, he wasn't supposed to be and he technically was supposed to pretend that she was ignorant to most ninja happening, that did not give him any right to show it. Anger flowed tightly throughout his body, almost vibrating with the urge to hit him. _ I am a better ninja than you will ever be you bastard! I follow my own way and I would never taunt those who are not trained the way we are, especially to those who are technically civilians. _

Naruto knew that his anger was a bit much and he had to control it, but he just couldn't help it. He was being nice to an asshole who has fucked up more than he ever could, and he had the gall to snort in his face. _No, if I am to change him, then he better fucking know how to at least _act_ civilized. _Being an Uchiha did NOT mean he was better than anyone else, even if he knew they were infamous for pressuring their young and scarring their childhood, that gave Madara no right to be this rude, especially to a woman he just met!

"What was that?" Naruto asked tartly, forcing a blank but pleasant look on her delicate features. These mini-fights were draining a lot out of him. It had been a while since he fought this often with anyone, especially over something like mannerisms and pleasantries.

Madara stopped as well and simply gave her an equally blank look, well, if blank and arrogant could go together. "Something wrong? Did you hear an animal? Don't fear Naruto-san, this land may be a bit different from yours but I assure you that nothing you have seen would ever best me." _God, just kill me now. He cannot be this egotistic._

"No. I am not worried over some rustling in the bushes. You offended me, whether you noticed it or not," he retorted. He couldn't hold the blank face anymore and could feel the wrinkles forming between his eyes, he assumed it must have been quite a site on a woman's face.

"You mean your uncomfortable family dilemma? I do not find any problem with it." Madara replied calmly. "If you are in such a position that makes you uneasy, then change it."

Naruto opened his mouth to yell at him, or at least to say something but nothing came out. _Fuck…that is the smartest thing that I've heard come out of his mouth._ He slowly closed his mouth and scoffed, "You know what? You're right, no much how much it bothers me, you're right." Madara indulged her with an "Uchiha smile" and grinned at her, his eyes dark and gazing into her own. "But! But, you must at least be civil, at least be diplomatic in your reactions. No matter your birth, your rank in society, or your own delusions, people have feelings, and words can hurt. I don't want to lecture you but everything you say has a consequence, and you can't be some child who expects to have the friends he harms to simply come back to him, because right now I. Am. Not. Your. Friend." His chest heaved, as if the speech itself physically exhausted him. He released the skirt of the kimono he just now realized was clenched in his hands. _I need a break from him. _In a split second Naruto was gone, running through the large tree, stepping on branch after branch, not caring if he followed her or not.

"**You are taking this female role too seriously; keep your human emotions in check." **

Kyuubi growled, clearly annoyed. Naruto grumbled to himself, feeling like a child, and stopped on one of the stronger branches, extending his arm and leaning against the trunk. Kyuubi didn't often chastise him, not really caring one way or the other, as long as Naruto kept himself alive, so it grated his nerves at times when he did. "You know after all this time, morphing together and all, you'd think a better attitude towards me would be at the top of your list.

"**Survival is at the top of my list, do not fool yourself."**

Naruto merely chuckled to himself, that was too true, if it wasn't for the nine-tailed fox and his last minute pick me up power surges, he would be dead one hundred times over by now.

"**Yes, now that is clear, turn around, that puppeteer is heading over." **Kyuubi snorted, his tails flicking in annoyance. "Well, I guess even the famed nine-tail fox hasn't gotten over being used by the big bad Uchiha." Naruto taunted, he knew all too well his hatred towards the Uchiha's, not to mention how in a moment of weakness he had been used by that "ignorant brat."

"I'll get in an extra punch or two here and there, how 'bout it?" Naruto jokingly mentioned and bit his thumb, trying to hold back his laughter. **"A mere punch would never suffice for making a fool of me!" **His mind all but shook with the anger that Kyuubi extruded.

"Naruto-san."

He tensed, back rigid, and slowly counted to ten. He really was being overly dramatic Naruto admitted to himself. _At least I can pass it off as a rush of hormones or something like that._

"Naruto-san." Madara repeated. If Naruto didn't know any better, he swore he heard some remorse in his voice somewhere. Slowly turning around, he gave him the annoyed look that was all too justified. "What?" He really wasn't in the mood for another idiotic conversation with him.

"You run….fast."

"Yeah, thanks, training remember?" Naruto replied shortly, arms crossed, he really was not in the mood for this.

He gave him a hard look, scrutinizing him, waiting for another stupidity to leave his mouth. _For one of the most feared ninja of all time, you are one dumb fuck. _Naruto thought to himself. _It's probably the age, how old was he again?_

"Look, Naruto-san, I thought of what you mentioned, and well….I suppose that…" before letting him finish Naruto blurted out what was on his mind. "How old are you anyway?" this made Madara stop talking and a confused look overcame his face. It was kind of funny, his cheeks were beginning to redden and it seemed that he didn't know what to do with this hands, seeing as how they were tucked into his shorts, which caused his back to hunch over a little bit. It was like a whole different person, it made him seem even younger, so insecure, so vulnerable. Totally not the man he had met earlier in the day. Hm. _Weird mood swings._

"Too hard of a question?" Naruto laughed, seeing him so weak-looking grudgingly made him feel better, also, it made him get over his behavior earlier. Naruto could pick a fight but he knew when to let things slide.

"I-I shall be t-twenty less than four months from today." He stammered out, trying hard to compose himself.

"So you're nineteen? Why didn't you just say so?" He couldn't help but tease him, he knew this trick, it's what you did when you tried to make yourself seem older, hell, Naruto was guilty of doing it too. Though, he usually reserved it for the wooing of older women.

"Well, that is how we explain our birthdates in our clan." Madara said quickly, recovering to his haughty self. _Uh-huh, totally got me there. _Naruto internally rolled his eyes.

"Okay, well then, when will we be arriving at your compound, if you haven't forgotten I require some sustenance," and smiled, he didn't know if his speech was over the top and too dated, but so far Madara hadn't mentioned yet.

Madara actually chuckled," You are actually at the borders of it right now."

Naruto's eyes widened, a zip of excitement once again ran through his body. After almost half an hour of walking/fighting/running, Naruto stared into what he assumed was the direction of their destination and closed his eyes, concentrating. He could hear muffled noises. Perking up, he flicked his eyes quickly throughout the whole foliage, hoping to catch a glimpse of the noises that sounded all too familiar, the hustle and bustle of a town, or in this case, the compound. _We're here!_ He thought excitingly, he could feel it, hell he could almost taste it. The air even had a different aura to it. _The Uchiha compound._

"Grab my hand," Madara said quickly, not looking at her. _What's with the shy guy routine?_ Naruto thought, if he didn't know any better…

"Please, Naruto-san." Madara stressed. Naruto stared at the offered hand," Well you did say please." He laid his hand over the other and with only a quick chakra pulse for warning, they disappeared.

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><p>Next thing he knew, Naruto was staring into a full blown district. People who all seemed vaguely familiar walked to and fro, animals ran by with giggling children following soon after, and random snippets of conversation filtered through the bustle.<p>

"Yes, have you heard….raising the market value for….?"

"Oh dear… high enough as…is."

"…..Isn't that Madara-sama? Oh! It is, we he's looking well…"

"…maybe…she? What lovely hair…foreigner perhaps…."

"Mama! Look…pretty lady with…"

"Lord her clothing….unkempt…"

And so on and so forth, tuning them out he took in everything else. Focusing on the scenery, he noticed that in a way, it looked like a mini Konoha; well sans the hundred year-old beasts he was used to seeing. The Trees had been evidently cut down to form a dirt road leading to what he assumed was the center of their clan's village. Houses lined the road, some big and some small, but all with some form of the Uchiha symbol here and there. What astonished him more than anything though, was how _normal_ everything seemed. For some reason, he had expected a desolate village with run down houses and trash littering the streets. He had not expected this; a town full of life, full of all ages of people, and he especially did not expect to see the all too familiar signs of businesses. He did not anticipate something so modern, well at least they didn't have neon signs or anything of the sort, then he didn't know how he'd react.

"Wow." Was all that he could muster, _well I'll be damned._

Madara turned and looked at her, the confident young man once again, arms crossed and smiling cockily and said, "Our clan prides itself in maintaining a healthy and thriving compound. That you have noticed this is no hard task. Now, for your meal, an acquaintance of mine owns the barbeque pit just a few blocks down. This way," and without further ado started walking down the main road, nodding to a select few here and there. Keeping pace next to him, he took in his surroundings once again. Now that Naruto took a closer look at the clusters of people here and there, he noticed they all were staring. It didn't bother him, seeing as how he was raised around hateful eyes, and lingering stares, but this was different. The eyes weren't hateful or mean, but full of curiosity and contained wonderment. It was just a peculiar feeling was all.

Thinking about his appearance he must have stood out like a sore thumb. Long golden hair, shining brightly compared to the ebony locks of the Uchiha's. Tan skin due to his intensive outdoor training compared to that of fair skin. Cornflower blue eyes instead of the deep and almost soulless black of those that surrounded him; this female body was practically the complete opposite of what embodied an Uchiha, it was almost funny. _Oh, looks like I'm a little taller too._ He hadn't realized his 5' 6" was too tall, but compared to the women he saw from his standpoint, they all were around 5' or 5' 1", glancing at Madara, he noticed he was barely two inches if even above her head. Mistaking the glances as nervousness, Madara said, "A few more steps and we'll be away from the curious glances." It was almost nice but Naruto could only scoff, "You're pretty short for some clan heir, you know that."

* * *

><p>Madara could only clench his teeth. How could this woman fluster him so much? She had loosened up since the few hours they had been together, but he wasn't sure he liked it too much. She was harsh and demanding at times, it was confusing! He even put his pride aside and made sure to make her feel comfortable, but then she would snap back at him, as if offended by his care. He didn't know whether all women from her village were like this or perhaps it was the fact that she was held in a "tight spot" due to her political affiliation, but it irked him. Once again, he thought of his humble and gentle mother, or his dutiful and stoic cousins, they were nothing like her. She was more dominant than any woman he'd ever encountered; she was almost as crass as some of his male relatives; especially so when she teased him about his age or his height. <em>A man such as I shouldn't be cowed by a female!<em>

Yet, even with all these marks against her, he couldn't help but feel drawn to her. He thought back to what he said about wanting to get to know her. That was true, and growing stronger by the minute. She fought when others apologized profusely, she laughed when others blushed in embarrassment. It was refreshing to interact with someone so complex.

Madara sighed, he hadn't met someone this interesting in a while, and it was disappointing. He knew her time here was limited, but perhaps that was the way it should be. No female should take up as much time as she had so far. The most he ever spent with a strange woman was a few hours, never a whole day.

Stealing a quick glance, he noticed her obvious staring and couldn't help but preen with a bit of pride. The sort of pride that a man got when he was standing next to a beautiful woman, and was glad that she was accompanying him. He knew it was a bit arrogant, but he was an Uchiha, and they deserved the best. Of course he would try his best to hide these internal thoughts, for he had an inkling of an idea that if this exotic woman ever found out about them, she would be sure to physically leave a reminder of her nonconformist behavior. Looking back out to his birthplace, he noticed the looks of his close relatives and their neighbors. The looks on a few of his close family members were mostly questioning; he knew he'd have to explain later, something he wasn't too sure how to feel. The rest were from those that were not directly related to the Uchiha's or even connected at all. Though most of the compound was made up of Uchiha men and women, a very low percentage included those allowed to stay for trade and business reasons. It had caused a few relationships and marriages within the family and the merchant outsiders, a fact that was not very well accepted within the clan, but truces were made and deals were done so that these families were protected. How someone would deliberately ostracize themselves from their family, Madara could not understand.

Once again, his eyes wandered towards the vixen next to him. When she had grasped his hand he grudgingly admitted that his pulse had sped up during their contact. To her it must have been nothing, a mere touch of a boy's hands, but for a second, he had felt something. It was not a something that could be written off as hormones, but that was a factor too, but he had physically felt a spark of power jump along his skin. His eyes had widened a fraction of an inch, but he had whisked them away before he thought too much about it. He had deliberately done so that she could not remember or see the paths in which he transported through. If he remembered correctly, there were approximately twelve illusions he had passed in order to reach the Uchiha territory, it was never too safe with outsiders, no matter how charming. Naruto hadn't even questioned it though, it nagged something at the back of his brain, how could someone not involved with ninja's not bother to question such a technique? It worried him, maybe he needed to interrogate her a bit more. _Perhaps she has been exposed to ninja dealings more than she is aware._ Pushing it all into a corner of his mind, he would save it for a later time where he could focus more. Smelling the familiar scents of the establishment, he stopped an announced their arrival.

"We are here."

Looking to the left, Naruto saw what seemed like a pretty generic barbeque joint._ Some things never change._

Both walking in, they were greeting by a cheerful middle aged man, with a slightly wavering voice. _Is he scared?_

"Madara-sama! W-welcome! Please s-sit, what may I get for you?" The man tried to say as cheerfully as possible, a nervous flicker of his eyes.

No answer.

"You have q-quite a female companion there, quite a beautiful. May I a-ask how you t-two came to know each other?

Madara cleared his throat and even that sounded high and mighty, sensing that he might say something stupid, Naruto interrupted.

"Hello, you may call me Naruto. It's a pleasure to meet you, I must admit I am quite excited to taste your food." Naruto said avoiding the latter question, trying to be as carefree as possible to put the man at ease.

"Ah, the p-pleasure is all m-mine Naruto-san, I am Kohei." Then bowed deeply and gestured towards his restaurant, "A friend of Madara-sama's is a friend of ours. Please, sit wherever you'd like."

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Naruto whispered under his breath, knowing full well that Madara had heard him. What he did externally was nod happily to the older gentleman and went to the third booth down, closer to the back, in which he assumed the kitchen was located. Sitting down, Madara followed soon after, back straight and chin uplifted, embracing what Naruto assumed was his normal behavior.

Naruto took a look around at the place and realized it still had that unused feel to it. The booths and tables all were in great condition, with no sign of wear or tear. There was only another couple of people at the other end of the establishment, but for customers that was it. _Haven't made a name for themselves yet I suppose. _What greatly influenced this thought was how some of the deals he could see laying on tables and what he glimpsed before going into the store were ridiculously cheap. Many deals of group meals and discounts for certain times of the year were what caught his eye. _I'll have to snatch some of those before I leave._

"Have you been in this business for long, Kohei-san?" Naruto asked after his observations.

"Oh, my, is it that obvious? N-not quite, I opened for business a mere two months ago." He answered timidly, eyes downcast and apologetic. "If it weren't for Madara-sama's patronage, we would have gone out as soon as we opened. You see, barbeque is not very common in these parts, it's very foreign."

"Really? Well, what a kind person Madara-sama must be." He said cheekily, turning to look at said person. All Madara did was snort and retorted, "Hn." _You Uchiha's, never taking a compliment well._

As if not noting her sarcasm, Kohei nodded enthusiastically and agreed whole heartedly. "What may I g-get for you?" He said, mostly looking at Madara.

"The usual."

As if expecting this, the man bowed deeply and shuffled off into the back, pans clattering and the muted yelling of people indicated that it was a rush order.

Naruto laughed and leaned forward, forming a bridge with his hands and laid his chin on them; focusing on the man in front of him. "I didn't know you were such a charitable man, Madara-san. It is nothing you should hide." He smiled condescendingly at him, hoping to rile him up a bit.

It worked like a charm as Madara shifted slightly in his seat, flicking his bangs out his eyes. "The food is acceptable, therefore I eat here on occasion."

"Speaking of which, what is he preparing?"

"Like I said earlier, the usual." Madara replied smartly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "And what, pray tell, is your usual? How do you like it, Madara-san?" He said, voice as composed as possible, and with a growing grin on his face.

Madara's mouth opened slightly; his eyes widening, hands gripping the table. _This is too easy._ Naruto thought with glee. _I guess no woman had never actually been this obvious to him, well that's a good sign I suppose, at least they have some self respect. _Naruto was having fun, using pick-up techniques decades ahead of someone's time must be like a hammer to the head.

Then, two plates of sizzling barbeque ribs were placed in front of them, visibly making the Uchiha flinch, clearly unaware of his surroundings. _Tsk tsk, rookie. Where did the trained assassin from earlier go?_

"Your order Madara-sama, Naruto-san," Kohei said after placing the food and a pitcher of water in the middle of the table, clearly in better spirits. _Finally, food!_

Giving Kohei an appreciative smile, he picked up one of the ribs and started to eat as daintily as possible but with the fervor of his ramen eating skills; it was no easy task. Not really focusing on Madara, Naruto decided to ditch the small talk and feed himself.

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><p>After a little more that twenty minutes, Naruto had finished his third plate of ribs. Surprisingly, he hadn't gotten his hands or clothes too dirty, the only sign of his less than mannered eating habits was a small stain on the sleeve of his kimono. <em>Success. <em>Looking up he caught Madara's glance, he was met with an incredulous stare. He grinned, the Uchiha had only just finished his last rib of the first plate.

"Mmm!" Naruto exclaimed and scratched the back of his neck, "I don't know why no one comes here, this food is delicious." Madara only kept staring, this time with more composed features. Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto began to scoot out of the booth, hoping to pay for his meal. Finally out, Naruto stood up and began walking towards the back of the restaurant, where he saw a small counter located. Scanning the room, the two other guests were still finishing up their meal, caught in some deep discussion. He wanted to pay for the food, the only problem that he was currently trying to figure out was how the money looked. The only image he had in his mind was decades too soon, and he didn't think the shopkeeper would be too happy with receiving money he didn't recognize. Taking a closer look at the other customers, he noticed a few coins piled on the corner of the table. _Score!_ Naruto thought, _Now all I gotta do is get close enough without looking too suspicious to see them in more detail._ Objective acquired, he started walking once again once he realized he had been standing still.

His goal was never achieved, just as he was passing Madara, the Sharingan master's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. _Wow, fast._ Naruto had only caught a blur of movement which now registered as Madara's grip on him. Looking down at the restrained appendage he gave a quick tug. He didn't budge. "Uchiha-san, please release my wrist, I intend to pay for my meal." Naruto said lightly, giving a couple other tugs. Sure enough, his wrist was still in the lock of Madara's hold; looking at him, he noticed that he was doing the Uchiha smile once again. _Glad I can be so fuckin' entertaining._ Naruto could have ripped away from him, but that meant _another_ fight and _another _confrontation. He really didn't think he could be so nice anymore and only retain his corrective instincts to yelling and light sparring.

Without any word, Madara stood up and slapped several coins on the table. Giving him a look that said, 'there, you happy?' he scooted out gracefully somehow and marched towards the exit, hand still around Naruto's wrist. Doing the only thing possible without looking clumsy, Naruto sped up and was obliged to walk behind Madara in order to prevent from tripping himself; letting out a frustrated sigh he yelled back into the restaurant, "Thank you, Kohei-san!" and then was forced out into the main road again and headed up the street into the center of the compound.

"Let go of me, Uchiha-san. You are not being very courteous right now!" He said, voice high and sing-songy.

Madara only clicked his teeth and tightened his grip on her. Growling slightly Naruto matched the Uchiha's pace and started tugging more viciously, "Let. Me. Go." He hissed, voice low but getting serious. He didn't want to cause a scene in front of prospective acquaintances, but this was really getting on his nerves. Madara didn't even flinch and kept on walking, getting closer and closer to a large estate that Naruto could make out the silhouette to. _It's getting late, what is it? Like eight already?_ Naruto guestimated by the position of the shadows and the fewer people walking around.

There were more teenagers than anything now, surely hoping to break curfew or screw around, whatever teens did in this age. _Ahh adolescents, they never change._ He thought, noting how a few of them gave quick appreciative glances, and there were even a few double takes. _I really need to check myself out._ Naruto thought jokingly, he hadn't really studied himself ever since he was dropped off in this reality. The only things he knew were the ones he could feel and within see within his sight range, such as: her mid-waist blond hair, which was currently loose, the height noted earlier, the _erhem_ breast size which was about the same as his Orioke no Jutsu, meaning large. Other than that, he didn't know the facial features, which he assumed were at least pretty gauging by everyone's reactions.

Lifting his constrained hand up he decided to play a little prank on him. Making up his mind, he decided to make the Uchiha uncomfortable and out of his element. What was on Naruto's mind was to give him a long lick on the knuckles. He giggled, _ OH man, this is gonna be hilarious. _A date had done it to him on the night they were sure to have sex, it had given him and instant boner, it made him wonder how Madara would react to it. Lifting up his hand, he neared it to his mouth, tongue at the ready. Sensing the movement and hearing the giggle, Madara slowly turned his head to the side, looking down at their raised hands.

It felt like Naruto had all the time in the world, he took in Madara's blank face slowly morphing into a shocked one, their raised hands and the ever darkening sky. It seemed like everything was moving in slow-motion, milliseconds of film slowly being manipulated so that he could focus on the scene he was soon to cause havoc on. Almost to his mouth, Naruto slowly stuck his tongue out, preparing to land a big wet one, but before anything could actually happen, a voice startled them.

"Madara-san! You're home! We didn't expect you for another three days." A very cheerful tone rang out from the door of the nearest house.

Visibly flinching, Madara quickly let go of her wrist as if on fire for being caught in the act and did an about-face; nodding at the disembodied voice, almost as if they weren't in a compromising position a few seconds ago. _Impressive. I don't think I could have recovered that quickly._

"Yes, matters came up."

Naruto pouted slightly and crossed his arms, he hated when pranks didn't go his way. Shrugging to himself, Naruto observed the interactions between the two, it seemed they were on a friendly basis. _'Madara-san, huh?'I wonder who it could be._ Stepping to the side to check out the voice, it turned out to be a young teenager, around the age of seventeen. He had the trademark dark-hair that so many villagers had, but he was incredibly tall, even taller than Madara; he approximated 6'5". Nearing the house-seeing as how Madara had totally forgotten about his existence and just walked over to him—he noticed one another different characteristics. It was dark outside but he could just make out the color of his eyes, they were a deep green. _So I'm guessing he's not a straight up Uchiha then._

Their conversation went on for a while longer, something concerning trade and the market fluctuations. Naruto sighed, "So is he just going to ignore me?" He said to himself, perhaps it was someone Madara didn't want Naruto to know about, or vice verses. _Well, I'm going to introduce myself!_

Marching over, he was two steps away from the house, noting how it was a traditional home, more decorative that some of the surrounding ones. _Must be rich._ He deduced. Taking the last step to stand behind Madara, he tapped his shoulder and smiled when he turned around. Not giving him time to speak, he pushed him to the side, with a little more force than necessary, causing him to catch his footing and looked up at the young man now before her. The young boy gave her a confused smile, eyes uneasy and flicking to Madara's as if asking for permission. Naruto began his introduction.

"Hello there. It seems Uchiha-san has forgotten his manners once again and forgot to introduce us. My name is Naruto, I'm new around this territory, what may your name be?" He then jutted his right hand out, and gave a friendly smile.

The teenaged boy slowly raised his hand and met the woman's hand in a handshake, a very weak one, but a handshake none the less.

"My name is Naoki, good to meet you." He said softly, hanging his head and moving it so that his bangs fell onto his face. _Does no one know a good haircut around here?_ Naruto had noticed a lot of the men had long hair, or overgrown bangs, he supposed it must be the current fad. Noting the silence, he thought it was weird to see the change in character; he seemed nothing like how he had enthusiastically been to catch Madara's attention.

Though his head was bent, that didn't change Naoki's height, so Naruto simply tilted his head and looked under all the hair and stared up at him. "Noaki-san, are you okay?"

Said person only flinched and shuffled backwards, heading to the now closed door, his hand came out behind him grasping for the doorknob, but due to his height it was a ways down. Bending backwards and to the side he finally got it to turn and successfully opened the door, but on his way back he somehow slipped and ended up falling on his rear end. Naruto couldn't help it, it was too funny. He couldn't not laugh, so he did just that. He threw his head back causing his hair to follow in an arc behind it and laughed until tears started to form at the corner of his eyes. He clenched his stomach, and bent forward, still laughing, hair now around his face because he was now facing the ground.

"Ahahah, oh man, ahahah, Naoki-san, forgive me, but that was just too amusing." Naruto finally said, after wiping his tears away and straightening up, staring down at the splayed teenager before him. It seemed Naoki hadn't moved, he was still on the floor with his hands bracing the ground to balance his weight. One leg was also bent, while the other was extended. Naoki only looked up and he gave Naruto a wide-eyed stare, mouth slightly puckered. "I do apologize, I didn't know I was that scary." Naruto kidded, but Noaki only stared at her and didn't answer. "Um, sorry?" Finally Naoki spoke looking at Madara, "She thinks I'm funny?"

It was Madara's turn to sigh and give her a frustrated look. Bending down , he helped to get Naoki back on his feet, then stepped back and turned to Naruto, voice serious, "Naoki-san has a rare phobia. He…." Madara paused then looked at Noaki, who was now fiddling with his thumbs, looking up once in a while to look at Naruto, muttering something under his breath. "He is afraid of women. Well, perhaps afraid or phobia are not the correct terms, but he does not function well around females, it is hard for him to interact successfully with them." Naruto could only stare, mouth shaped in a little 'o.'

"It is getting late, perhaps I should delay the introductions…" Madara said more to himself, in the thinker pose. A few short seconds later he nodded to himself and turned to speak to Naoki. "You must be tired Naoki, go to bed, we'll discuss this later tomorrow." He emphasized this by pushing him into the house and slowly shutting the door. Just before he closed the door completely Naoki repeated what he was saying under his breath, "She thinks I'm funny!" Then gave a big grin, waved at her and the door was shut.

Now Madara turned to Naruto," I was going to take you on a tour of my family's grand estates, but it is now too late for such a thing. You will have to wait one more torturous day, Naruto-san." Naruto could only pout. "Hm, that sucks."

Madara only nodded, "If you would like we can meet by the restaurant we dined at earlier, perhaps then we can discuss our sparring schedule and begin the touring of the estates and city. You should be glad, I am not usually some guide." Without waiting for him to object, he gave a polite head shake in her direction and walked off.

_But where am I supposed to sleep?_

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><p>And that's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed, once again, don't forget to review! :P<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 for ya'll!

'Tis quite long! Cool, huh?

Read and review to yours kindly.

:D

~miscmist

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><p>"Okay, now to find a place to sleep." Naruto deduced and started on his way to find a suitable place to stay for the night, which would most likely end up being some sort of vegetation such as the common tree. He was used to camping out under the trees Konoha provided; hell, as a ninja of this land he was almost expected to, but he hadn't exactly thought that he would be doing that sort of dozing tonight. It felt out of place, as if this foreign time should not have factors connecting him to his future location. Quickly shaking that train of thought, he directed his attention back to finding a camp. Naruto decided to find it by relying on fate, the random method. He chuckled, it was what he did when he felt particularly adventurous or didn't exactly want to waste so much time on trial and errors. He closed his eyes and spun around quickly; once he had spun several times he stopped and pointed in front of him. Opening his eyes he followed his arm and looked to where his index finger had decided to take him; he noticed it was slightly to the left of the main Uchiha compound. Shrugging to himself, he took a quick look around to make sure there were no spectators, then flexed his clenched muscles and jumped onto the nearest roof.<p>

Naruto smiled, it had felt like forever since he had gone roof hopping. Though he knew that this basic ninja skill was known to all across the land, it was one of his favorite hobbies. As a kid he had done just that, with a few pranks tied here and there to make it productive, but he had started early none the less. Sighing happily, he let himself feel the wind playing with his long hair, and focused on the minute thump that could be barely heard if you focused hard enough. The adrenaline rush that it gave him made him speed up slightly, even though he had no specific destination just yet, it was a great feeling pushing himself, the whole of it all was almost too much. _I miss Konoha._ He thought sadly. Naruto had been in this world for less than two days but it suddenly felt like an eternity; an eternity with the absence of his friends and colleagues. Without the reassuring buzz of all those familiar chakra signatures surrounding him, without stopping by at his favorite eating joint, and without the hope of ever experiencing that again. It was downright depressing.

Caught in his pondering, the scroll came up in the forefront of his memory. It caused Naruto to shiver and rub down the hairs on the back of his neck. A snippet of the scroll whispered through his mind:

_For the hero who's done it all_

_A man will surely fall_

_Dreams and worlds can collide_

_But only those who travel are able to decide_

_What lines are crossed and what lines are finished_

_Repeat these lines and you shall wish it_

Coming back to himself, Naruto had to once again focus on the world he landed in. _Stupid scroll label. Stupid me. Stupid. Stupid. _He chastised himself, he knew that his erroneous reading had finally screwed him over. Thinking of the scroll again caused goose bumps to pop up over his body. _Stop!_ He didn't feel like reliving that memory or flashback at the moment, it would be too unpleasant.

"**Do not be weak."**Kyuubi grumbled in his mind, but Naruto chose to ignore him at the moment; wouldn't be too smart to cause him to be angry and sad at the same time. Such strong emotions had to be dealt with one at a time.

Kyuubi's little advice did affect Naruto though, he knew he had to sit down and think these possibilities over and find a way to get back, Naruto just couldn't deal with it too seriously. For some reason, he still felt this was a joke, even though his mind and body said otherwise. If he hadn't already tried every dispelling illusion trick in the book, he'd be half dead lying in a creek somewhere. _Need to find a place!_ He reminded himself.

Spotting one of the tallest trees that he had seen so far, Naruto made his way over to it and assessed its sturdiness. _Looks good._ He decided and proceeded to climb his way up. After a few seconds he finally reached a branch that was suitable for his weight and settled down. Scooting as close to the base of the tree as he could, he let himself relax and observe the tranquil compound below. "Looks like a mini-town, Uchiha Town…hm," Naruto thought aloud, it could have been a possible name if it weren't for its integration. "Nah, sounds lame." He concluded, even Naruto didn't think an Uchiha would directly put their name for a city; it was too obvious. Letting the landscape fill his vision, he took in the simple beauty of it. It was a quite a sight seeing the land be illuminated by the swollen moon in the sky. It let him see how this quaint village was laid out. It was mostly a cluster of homes, the exception being the main Uchiha compound taking up most of area. The smaller homes were closely knit so that there were rare few empty spots. There were four main roads, two of which he had seen with Madara, while the rest were little alleys that crisscrossed the rest of the compound. The houses and buildings slowly thinned out to more demure shacks and lastly the trees made up the rest of the land for miles around. If he had to guess, it would be on the outskirts of the modern-day Konoha, it made him realize how huge Konohakagure had grown. _I wonder how it all happened exactly._

Naruto knew a few facts, but he wasn't too keen on the details. Yawning he scuttled slightly and rubbed his eyes tenderly. He just realized how tired he was, the rustling of the leaves and the subtle animals noises were slowly lulling him to sleep. With every heavy blink of his lids, his vision became more and more blurry. Fewer and fewer objects were registering in his mind, only the dim light of the moon shining on his body let him know he was still awake. One blink, then two, and Naruto was asleep.

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Naruto woke up with a startled gasp, body at the ready he swung himself up ready for a fight. Though it was all in vain because his commotion caused him to hit his head on an overhanging branch. "Ow!" He protested, and looked down at his feet, feeling a strange sensation. A couple birds had been pecking at his toes, clearly agitated. One of them was still going at it, ignoring his rapid movements and cries. _Huh?_ Looking up he saw the cause of their agitation, he had slept under the tree in which he assumed was their bird's nest. Looking closely he saw four little beige eggs nestled in the center. _Well it's not like I'm gonna EAT them._ Naruto thought crossly. Jumping down a few branches, the birds seemed satisfied and quickly returned to their awaiting children. Annoyed, Naruto 'harrumphed' and did his regular stretching routine. After a few satisfying cracks and pops, he sighed contentedly and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

With a few quick blinks of his eyes, he looked down on his temporary village. It was still a small shock to see it though, it was something he would have to get used to. Naruto shook his head and jumped down to the ground below, his kimono fluttering slightly on his descent. Looking down at his attire he whistled in awe. It was dirtier than a week's old laundry. He guessed some of the birds had something to do with it. "A lady shouldn't be seen like this," he thought with amusement, "I should change, don't wanna cause a ruckus." Naruto laughed and looked around. _Who's going to see me anyway?_

"Wait. Madara!" He had forgotten his meeting with him at the restaurant. Quickly deducing the time, it seemed like it was around ten in the morning, hopefully he wouldn't be too late. "Well, it technically still is morning, no harm done." He said to himself, trying to clear his conscious. After a few more reassuring thoughts he settled down and fixated his gaze on his attire. Focusing on his garments he transformed into a kimono that was actually clean. It was one of the more commons ones he used on his female missions. The kimono was a light pink with a subtle white hexagon pattern running across the shoulder and bottom. He had noticed the women didn't exactly wear such fancy kimonos, usually skirts and some type of blouse, but Naruto decided he'd catch up with the fashion later.

"This will do nicely, besides, it won't hurt to look nice now that I might be late." he said to no one in particular and headed towards their arranged destination. Running his hands through his hair he worked out most of the knots he found and patted down the raised bumps he felt. Walking and fixing his hair took up a lot of time for before he knew it, he was a few steps away from the barbeque joint. Naruto wondered how his face was, figuring it had to be presentable for he hadn't received too many scornful looks he assumed he was decent. With a straightening of his delicate shoulder he made his way into the restaurant, a smile at the ready.

No one was there to receive his smile though, as once again, the establishment only had one other patron, who was on the vestiges of falling asleep on his food. Blowing the bangs out of his face, he sat on the nearest table facing the street. Settling himself in, he scanned what he could see of the crowded road before him. _I don't think he's been here yet._ He thought optimistically, "Only one way to find out." He whispered as he heard the quick shuffling steps of what he assumed were Kohei's.

"Naruto-san! A pleasure to see you again, how are you this fine morning!" Kohei said with gusto, clearly a morning person. Naruto smiled and squinted up at him. The morning light was high now and was shinning directly in his eyes. "I'm great Kohei-san, thank you." Naruto said with matched enthusiasm. This seemed to cheer the man even more as he asked loudly what he would like to eat.

"Well, you see Kohei-san, I'm actually waiting for Madara-san. He and I had a meeting of sorts." Naruto said cheerfully, hoping to all the forces out there that he hadn't come and gone. _Don't want to give him anything else to complain about._ To his horror a look of pity overcame the middle-aged man's face. _Shit._

"Well, you see…Madara-san has already visited us. A-at the t-time I thought it was strange seeing as he sat there for two h-hours only drinking tea, I was clearly agitated. I thought we had done something to upset him. F-for he didn't speak to us, only to ask for refills! We thought he was clearly dehydrated. I c-cannot believe any normal p-p-person could drink that much tea without using the bathroom. I am so g-glad, oh! but I am sorry for this mix up. You see it is not that I am-" Kohei went on and on, speech becoming more and more jumbled. It seemed he was relieved that he was still in Madara's good graces but upset for her at the same time. His conflicting emotions were getting on his nerves. _It's not like I'm going to chastise him for something I messed up on. _Naruto thought tartly.

Getting up slowly, Naruto rubbed the area between his brows, trying to get rid of the growing furrows there. Stepping to the side he made his way to the exit, Kohei following behind with his apologetic words. Turning around quickly, Kohei gasped softly, surprised by his speed. "It is fine Kohei-san, do not worry, it was but a frivolous matter we were going to discuss. Now. Is there a chance you knew where he might have been headed, or perhaps the direction he took off in?" Naruto said and slowly and calmly as he could; it wouldn't do to distress him even more.

Kohei only shook his head, and played with his hands. "H-he was there one second and gone the next. N-ninja can be quite…quiet...I mean…very…"

"Silent. Stealthy. Yes, I understand. No worries. I'll be on my way, goodbye." Naruto said shortly, then walked out and escaped the shouted apologies behind him. Clicking his tongue peeved, Naruto figured he might as well try to look for the Uchiha. It would double as a recon mission to experience the layout of the compound a bit more; a two birds one stone type of deal. _This might take a while._

Inhaling deeply, he joined the crowd and tried to blend in. Which would have been easier were it not for his bright hair and colorful kimono. As he thought earlier, most of the citizens of this village commonly wore muted clothing, nothing too pigmented, usually in shades of brown, blue or gray. _Man, where's the color?_ Getting back to his self-appointed task he closed his eyes and sent out a chakra pulse of his own, quickly scanning the surrounding area. It was how he had learned to sense chakras that weren't directly close to him, or disguised.

Moving with the crowd he awaited the return of anything that might be Madara's signature; a signature which he had pegged as a very active one. It was one that buzzed and hummed with restrained power, one that expanded and flexed with bursts of ninjutsu, it felt as arrogant as the source itself. Every person had their own unique feel, ninja's had a more memorable and notable one, but civilians had a faint pulse as well. As for Naruto's, he could not exactly describe his own seeing as he was so used to it, but according to his comrades his signature was a loud vibrating thing that pricked at the skin, sometimes on the uncomfortable side. Especially so, his team had mentioned, when he used a powerful technique; comparing it to being burned but having nothing to douse the flames with. Naruto would say more bubbly, but he wasn't exactly a good judge on pain; his tolerance was a bit higher than the rest.

After a few minutes, he had only received the regular ninja spark, but none from Madara himself. _Hmm, this Uchiha clan has many trained members._ He duly noted, sensing more than thirty moderately strong signatures. Continuing on his search, he sighed with exasperation. "Where _is_ he?" Naruto stared into the gentle stoic faces around him, searching for a sign that they might give away. As expected, he only saw confused flicks of the eyes and a couple winks, but no hints as to where Madara could be. Growling to himself he carried forwards and awaited some good news.

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More than an hour later, Naruto was still out of luck. When he had submitted himself to this task he had expected a ten minute search perhaps, but not this mindless wandering. Who would have thought you could hide a powerhouse of an Uchiha in such a small village. Naruto could have sworn he had felt his signature spike twice, but before he could take off in the direction, it would scatter then disappear all together. It had caused a few of the villagers to stare in baffled manner to see a woman in a bright kimono run in one direction, then switch and practically sprint in the next. _It's like he doesn't want to be found._ Naruto thought exasperated, then slumped and dredged on.

"I need to stay positive." He whined to himself, and blew the bangs out of his face. "Stupid hair…" he yelled irritably, the breeze hand been picking up and had become quite an annoyance causing his long locks to flutter and spread all around his head. The hair would stick in his mouth and poke his eyes, it was extremely troublesome. _A haircut perhaps?_ Naruto thought jokingly, he wouldn't mess with his appearance too much just yet, if he figured things out just right, he might get outta here sooner than expected. Madara would be 'cured', he'd be a miracle worker, then everyone would go on their merry way. "Might as well go find a mirror." Naruto then added another mission to his to do list and carried on.

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Meanwhile in a not so remote place, Madara was currently trying not to fidget in a room full of powerful clan members. He had showed up at the restaurant and that damned woman had not appeared! To think he sat there for two hours awaiting her arrival. It grated on his nerves. In the back of his mind he considered that they had not exactly set a specific time, and she might have shown up later, but that only caused him to feel like fidgeting even more. It would mean she would be the one waiting for him, as it should be of course, but he also did not want to aggravate her anymore that he did on his own. Perhaps Kohei-san could entertain her until he got out of this pointless meeting. He tried not to scoff, as if Kohei-san could be that interesting. _Naruto-san would never be distracted by him._ Madara thought childishly, but internally stopped that thought from developing and focused back on the mission discussion.

"Now, on to the last of the list, we need to discuss the Yamada mission. In order for us to produce a substantial amount of money from this family, I believe we should raise its difficulty ranking. They have the funds and are in desperate need of its execution. It's initial labeling was a bit too under-rated." Said a large tan man with shortly cropped dark hair who's voice echoed against the surrounding walls. His shirt was high-collard, pristine white and cut off at the forearms, an Uchiha fan clearly stitched on his right arm. As for the rest of his attire, one could not see considering the table that dissected all who sat. Madara considered this imposing man, though he would never say it out loud, he was an intimidating person. Over the years he had grown used to his loud manner of speech and slightly unrefined ways, but that did not distract the brutal look of him. The scars that decorated his neck and hands might have possibly added to his image. It was hard to say that he was an Uchiha, with his completely unorthodox manner of speaking and dark skin, but he had one of the deepest family lines in the whole compound.

"The urgency of this mission was considered due to its unprecedented request, but there are many other factors. It was under-rated as you say because of the lack of skill required and the close range of it all." Madara replied stoically. It would not do to show discomfort of any sort, especially with this group of people. "If we were to raise its ranking, the Yamada family would suspect of some conspiring in our part. They may be wealthy, but they are not stupid. They have dealt with other ninja clans before, Ryota."

A few murmurs were heard amongst the men gathered. There were only eight total, granted, but even one voice could make a difference in these dealings. Dealings that at times Madara resented. He was a possible future leader of this clan, but that did not mean that all the going-ons and responsibilities of an heir were exciting or pleasant to handle.

Ryota's face gave nothing away, only a slight considering nod."That could be a problem." Was all he said, looking out onto the rest of the clan members to see any other suggestions. These members who were of course all Uchiha, and all had a special part in the consideration of mission. Madara tried not to smirk, he knew most were thinking it but did not want to say it aloud. They were not exactly afraid per se, but at times choice words and phrases set the room on edge, and even though there were strict rules to keep resentment and other such emotion in check, they tended to trickle out into the casual world.

"What could be done perhaps, is to complete this mission as intended. Then to bind them to us, we could ask for a reserved favor, because of its urgency and situation. They would not be able to refuse, the Yamada family is known for its strong connections." Said a soft but steady voice among the gathering. Madara looked in front of him, at the man who's subtle smile made him smirk in return. A silence overcame the room, as if the answer was so simple it was stupid not to have thought of in the first place. The rest of the committee agreed softly and nodded in supported.

"Well, I believe we have found our answer." Ryota said gladly, gave a couple knocks on the table and wrote something down on the scrolls before him. "If there are no other topics, I entertain a motion to close this meeting."

"I motion."

"I second."

"This meeting is now closed, thank you for your times. Goodbye." Boomed Ryota and smiled, almost instantly changing his whole visage. A man who looked intimidating now looked like a glad man who was genuine and looked almost non-threatening. At once all the men stood up from the table and began to gather their things. Soft side conversations happened between a couple of the men while others simply walked out. Ryota gave another farewell and also exited, mentioning something about grabbing something to eat.

Madara walked over to the only seated member, who seemed to be scribbling quickly on the scroll before him. Standing next to the pale, ponytailed man, Madara punched his shoulder. "You impress me with your simplicity; I suppose you win this round." He said jokingly, a grin forming on his face. The man simply put down his brush and looked up at him," Of course I win, and I will win many more in the future, not just with words. Stop being so petty, brother." Madara could only chuckle, and aim a punch at him once again. The man avoided his punch and gave a quick jab to his ribs.

"Ungh. Your jabbing technique are getting annoying, Izuna."

"I do what I can, brother, I do what I can." Izuna then laughed and they both retreated from the room.

Leaving the conference room, Izuna was laughing at something Madara was explaining when he gave his brother a knowing look.

"I have a question for you Madara." Izuna said suspiciously, eyes shielded and casting slight shadows on his face. This caused Madara to tens slightly, he knew it was coming but he had not hoped to discuss it so early.

"What was the cause of your early return? Was the countryside not as relaxing as you hoped it would be? Or perhaps….it has to do with a certain person?" Izuna said, the humor clear in his voice. Madara could only grin guiltily, it was hard to hide much from his brother. They had a relationship where they could discuss mostly anything, and beat each other up in the process, but at times it felt that Izuna was the more mature one, it was mostly because he reminded him of his father so much.

"I might have been distracted by someone, yes." Madara said cautiously, slowly coming to a stop near the edge of the building. They were now outside the central delegation building that made up part of the main Uchiha compound. Usually he only came here twice a week to discuss and overview the missions and negations between other clans and lands, but his early arrival had caused him to be pulled into another meeting, his father should be proud.

"Hm. Well, I do hope to meet her." Izuna said with a smile and continued on, hands clasped and back straight as always.

_He knows about Naruto-san? _Madara thought with panic. He knew not staying the whole time at his lodge would have caused some rumors, but he had forgotten how nosy the members of his clan could be. Though he admitted he was partly to blame for the information that was surely spread around. It was not common to see an heir of the Uchiha family parade himself out and about, especially with a woman at his side. There were not many foreigners or members outside the clan that stayed in the compound for more than a few hours, and surely that rebellious woman would have caused people to talk. If not for her features or physical attributes, then surely for her fierceness, it was not a common trait most people he knew were aware of. The few kunoichi he did know where not as emotive as her. Even though Naruto had mentioned that she was not technically a shinobi, it still nagged him to think a woman would know so much without actually employing her skills. It made him consider her dangerousness again, a feature past men probably had also dealt with. Thinking this caused a strange pang of jealousy to flit through him. Naruto was a hard woman to miss, surely some man would have tried to woo her by now. He had to go find her. With an annoyed glance at the dot that was now his brother, he disappeared with a surge of chakra.

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Hoping to catch his image on something reflective, Naruto spotted a busier side of the road he was on, to which he quickly found out turned out to be a sort of bazaar. It was similar to the ones in Konoha in that it had merchants clustered together side by side, voices yelling and catching the attention of passerby's. As he neared, the salesmen would vie for her attention among others and would proclaim to have the cheapest vases, to the softest quilts, the brightest gems, but none caught Naruto's eyes. Walking slowly past them he would politely decline them and look forward to spotting a mirror of some type. He could hear the nine tailed fox comment on his vanity but Naruto felt he was justified to at least know how he looked.

As time went on he stopped looking as intently and just admired some of the baubles that several of the merchants had. As if sensing her foreignness a couple of the them would be quite relentless and wouldn't stop with their haggling, surely overpricing whatever it was they were hoping to sell. Exhausted with yet another failed search, Naruto wasn't as polite and would simple walk by, not bothering to fake his interest or possible transaction. Just as he was about to turn around and resume the Madara search he spotted a shining light in his peripheral vision. Almost laughing, Naruto made his way over to one of the last booths laid out. "Well, I'll be damned." He said to himself, earning a few stares. Stopping in front of the booth, he admired the many varieties of mirrors and knickknacks that were laid out. There was a small sign mentioning something about a woman's special corner and gifts of some sort but Naruto disregarded it and studied what this shop had to offer.

There were jeweled combs, face powder sets, decorative jewelry boxes, brushes, and mirrors of course. Most of the reflective panes were intricately designed and adorned to high heaven, but he decided to pick up a relatively plain, medium-sized mirror. It had a thick black border that looked like veined marble but was probably something cheaper, yet had a comfortable weight that made it feel pricey. The oval of the mirror had just enough room to see his entire face so that he could finally analyze himself. Lifting it closer to himself, Naruto couldn't help but suck in his breath, "Oh…" was all that he could mutter.

Sure he was suspecting a pleasant appearance framed by some unruly bangs, but not this. What met his eyes was a delicate face that ended in the very popular dainty chin. His or more like her eyes, seemed huge on her face, whether it was from surprise or the actual feature he wasn't quite sure, but they were striking. Their color only added to their appeal, for they were a bright blue, richer, more concentrated in color than the ones he was used to seeing. Her nose was a cute dot on her face which almost contrasted with the full, plump and pink lips that finished the face, it gave the cute face a very sexy appeal. 'Kissable' was the term that popped up in his head. For some reason a slight flush started to form across her face and Naruto had to correlate this blushing woman to himself. It made his vision spin and caused him to give a couple deep breaths. _I'm…beautiful._ Naruto thought unabashedly and blinked rapidly, burning the image into his mind. _This is me now._ Moving the mirror closer to his features he noticed something he had not spotted earlier. There were very faint, very thin lines that ran on each side of his cheeks. _My scars!_ He thought with joy, at least that stayed with him, it was oddly comforting to find a feature that connected him to his original body if not for the color of hair or eyes, at least would to do ground him. The scars weren't as noticeable as with his male body but the fact of the matter was that they were still there.

Hearing a male throat clearing, Naruto snapped his head up and 'eeped' nervously. Blushing he mumbled under his breath for the prize and laid down several coins; coins which he had shamelessly stolen from several of the villagers. Praying that it would be enough he looked at the man for confirmation. The man only smiled gently and took half of the coins that were set on the table. "If you'd like to spend the rest, we are having a sale on all jeweled combs." The merchant said happily.

"Thank you, but this is all I'll need." Naruto said softly, still in a daze, then picked up the remaining coins and walked off to join the river of people.

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Looking down occasionally to admire his features, Naruto didn't seem to notice the person he had spent the better part of his day for. Madara had spotted her weaving in and out of the crowd, and had been tailing her for several minutes. For some reason he felt like observing her, if only for a while. Seeing her now she seemed gentler, more vulnerable. It was hard to peg her as a deadly person. His observations also let him 'survey' her backside, which was a very nice one to look at. Of course he did this with the stealth of a ninja, he was a man after all, to ignore her attributes would be moronic and ignorant. Or so Madara tried to convince himself.

Realizing the rump in question had now moved from his vision, he snapped out his reverie and followed it to a less condensed part of the compound. Following his gaze up to the blond hair, he noticed that Naruto was now speaking to someone, quite amiably. Deciding this was time as any to let her know of his presence, he slowly walked up to her and her companion

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Naruto grinned when he felt Mdara's chakra signature surge behind him. _'Bout time._ He had expected him to walk up to him and give him some speech, or perhaps even an apology, but after waiting a few seconds, he simply stayed at a constant distance behind him. This perplexed Naruto but wrote it off as some creepy stalker thing, it seemed most Uchiha were fond of. _Hell, I'm gorgeous, he probably can't help himself._ Naruto thought half in jest, half serious.

Deciding to play along, Naruto weaved in and out of the crowd of people, not having a destination in mind anymore. Looking around, the neighborhood seemed a little familiar to him. As if to answer him, a familiar face seemed to materialize from the hustle and bustle walking in the opposite directions. _I hope this isn't a bad idea…_ Naruto thought with slight worry.

"Naoki-san!" Naruto yelled, waving his hand for emphasis, hoping to catch his attention. Said man visibly flinched and dropped several scrolls on the ground which Naruto had not noticed before. _Oops!_

Quickly rushing over he bent to pick up what scrolls Naoki had not already gotten his hold on. "Sorry, Naoki-san, I seem to only cause you trouble." Naruto said with an apologetic smile.

Naoki only mumbled, blush apparent on his face. After gathering all the scrolls they both got up and starred at each other awkwardly, Naoki more than anything. Naruto bit his lip to prevent him from laughing, and piled what scrolls he had on top of the pile now in Naoki's arms.

"Why so many scrolls? I didn't know you were a scholar." Naruto asked, hoping to finally figure out something about this boy that Madara had cut short last time.

"No. I…uh…I m-mean I am not." Naoki said, then cleared his throat several times and looked at her shyly. "They are d-documents for the metal trade. My family..d-deals…with almost all metal work here…" He said, voice slowly thinning out and becoming inaudible.

"Really? That's amazing! You must be quite an important person, Naoki-san." Naruto replied. _So you are their main weapons supplier, huh? Could be good to know you._ He thought, for surely the family in charge of all metal work would be aware of why they needed so much metal. The manufacturing of swords, kunai, shuriken, and many more weapons were always a priority in any ninja village. "You should show me or give me a tour of your facility, or maybe your shop. Madara-san seems to have forgotten our little arrangement so it would only be suitable for you to replace him." He said cheekily, hoping to get a rise out of the young teenager.

"Oh! Well I could n-never, ever, r-replace Madara-sama, b-but I surely can give you a t-tour. That would be great…that is, since you want it…and it wouldn't be any trouble." Naoki stuttered, slowly shrinking into himself, his gracelessness with women ever more evident.

"Awesome!" Naruto chirped and patted him on the arm, hoping to reassure him, which only caused Naoki to jump slightly, and snap his head up in surprise.

"Madara-sama!" Naoki said with renewed excitement and bowed clumsily, knocking down a few of the scrolls once again.

"Naoki-san." Madara replied, simply nodding in return. Seeing that no one was picking up the scrolls, Naruto bent down and picked them up, once again stacking him on the perilous pile of what was left. Looking at Madara, he only saw a hint of annoyance. He wasn't sure why, but Naruto had to reason it for his tardiness.

"Madara-san, what an honor to finally see you. If I didn't know any better, I would say you ditched me purposely and left me to wander by myself. If it wasn't for Naoki-san here, I would have run around the compound clueless." Naruto said mirthfully, hoping to put the Uchiha in the guilty spot.

Madara only lifted his chin arrogantly. "If I'm not mistaken, you were not there as previously mentioned."

Naruto's eyes twitched in indignation, "But what _was_ previously mentioned? There was no specific time decided."

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Naoki excused himself, then walked away and fast as he could without jostling the scrolls. "Wait, Naoki, our tour!" Naruto yelled after him. _I was actually looking forward to it._ He thought with a pout.

"He has matters to attend to." Was all Madara said, when Naruto gave him an accusatory look.

"Yes, _you _also had matters to attend to, which evidently do not include me. Please, Madara-san, if you do not wish to discuss our future involvement with each other, I would rather hear it now than later. The more time I spend here, the less I have to explore the countryside, I'll remind you." He replied shortly, not exactly meaning it but anticipating a reaction all the same.

Madara's head cocked back, clearly stunned. "Of c-course I would like to, but as I mentioned earlier I am a possible heir and I have many priorities."

"Okay, well then, how about now? No excuses. Let's spar to lessen that frigid demeanor of yours."

"Follow me."

"Fine."

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Several hours later, two bodies were collapsed on the ground, bodies heaving with exhaustion. One was a dark haired man, while the other a bright-eyed woman who was right next to him. Both had bruises and cuts littering their bodies. They were lying in a slightly wooded area; an area that was now full of small craters, smoking trees, and a faint burning smell in the air.

"Showed…you." Naruto said between gasps of air, emphasizing this by getting up slowly and aiming a weak punch to his ribs.

Madara only chuckled, then groaned due to all the bruising, and got up as well, giving her a considering look. "You. Have not…even seen half of what I can…do." The last barely a whisper. "Lucky…I didn't use...any jutsu." Madara finished, a cocky grin on his face.

Naruto whipped his head back and laughed. Laughed so hard that his stomach hurt which had nothing to do with the sparring and had tears leaking down his face, leaving a trail of clean skin with all the dirt that was now patched on his face. Soon after Madara joined him and they both enjoyed their tittering. Naruto didn't want to admit but that had been one of the most satisfying fights he had experienced. His partner was someone new who didn't know his moves, had different skills and all this challenged him. It was great. Sure, they hadn't use any jutsu, Madara claiming it would not be fair for Naruto, thinking he didn't know any, but it was entertaining none the less. It had been an orchestra of flying kunai, exploding tags, and well placed punches. Coming down from his hysterics, Naruto got up and stretched as much as he could. Looking down at the Uchiha, he offered him a hand. Knowing full well he could get up by himself, Madara took it anyway, accepting his peace offering. He could feel the bond between them tightening, just as any bond usually did after a fight, but this started to feel almost genuine. It almost made Naruto feel a little guilt for deceiving him. _It's not like I chose to be like this anyway._ He chided the universe. Noticing Madara had still not let go of his hand, he looked down at their intertwined grasps.

Sensing his gaze, Madara cleared his throat and released his hold on him, but not before slightly tightening his grip. Grinning lightly, he gave Madara a teasing punch which he easily avoided. "You know, that was pretty fun." He said not caring for his slang. Madara nodded in return. "I think you might have broken my ankle though."

Concerned, Madara looked down, an apology forming on his lips. Biting his bottom lip, Naruto raised said injured ankle and lightly smacked Madara on the nose. "Ha! Gotcha!"

Madara quickly grabbed his descending ankle and gave it a quick twist, making Naruto land on his behind.

"Touché." Naruto said with a laugh and used the ankle Madara stilled grasped and hooked it as best as he could with his other leg and flipped Madara on his back. A groan escaped both him and Madara as their bodies complained about the abuse.

"Okay, enough, enough. I'll…s-stop." Naruto gave in as he saw the look Madara was giving him, one of more pain to come. This caused another smile to grace his opponent's face, which reminded him how good-looking Madara could be.

"If only we had your handy hot springs around, it would feel great right about now." He commented as they both got up and dusted themselves off as much as possible.

Madara went still, a strange gaze met his eyes. "We could." He said, followed by a few seconds of silence, and then elaborated. "There is a large spring our compound is quite proud of. If you have no problem with it, we could head there now."

Naruto was surprised, it was pretty late now that he realized it and he assumed all the business closed around this time. "I would think all forms of business would be closed by now."

"Naruto-san, the Uchiha run this compound; it would be no hard task to open the establishment up and simply use it." Madara said, a condescending tone in his voice.

He could only stare. _Wow, that's actually really nice of him._ Naruto grinned, in spite of himself and walked up to him and looked around theatrically. "You know what would be even more fun?" Madara only cocked his head and gave her a questioning face.

Leaning in close to his ear, Naruto whispered, "To sneak in." Then stepped back and waited to hear his response. After a long pause, Madara's arrogant façade slowly showed through, accentuated by the matching grin Naruto's face now had.

" I do hope your stealth skills are up to it." Then without another moment to spare, they both became blurs as they headed towards the spring.

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Ten minutes later, Madara and Naruto were crouched on a tree, overlooking the hot springs before them. It was on the outer edges of the town so being spotted was not very likely. The only problem Naruto could see from up here was jumping over the wooden fence and landing quietly on the roof, which had a few open ventilation ports. A guard had been stationed close to the springs but he was currently occupied by a very chatty female.

"Why a guard?" Naruto asked, he couldn't imagine a sentry for something like a hot springs.

"The hot springs are popular among troublemakers of the merchant families. They occasionally try to hop the fence for a free and potentially vandalizing experience." Madara said matter of fact, almost bored.

"Well, I'm not merchant's daughter." Naruto replied jokingly, and without giving Madara a clue, jumped down from the tree and sidled against the side of the building, observing the guard flirt with what he now saw was a middle-aged woman. Pretty, but with a mean looking mole on her forehead that sort of ruined her whole appeal; not that Naruto minded, but he noticed most people didn't dig the whole hairy mole look. A soft 'thump' beside him was all he needed to know that Madara had also landed.

As if by an unspoken challenge, Madara looked up at the wooden border, seemed to find a suitable spot and jump, silently landing on the roof. Not looking down to see if Naruto followed, Madara walked off, body disappearing. "Jerk." Naruto whispered then with a quick look to make sure the guard was still occupied, sprung and landed on the roof. Only to land on a loose nail. "Hmpmhmp!" Naruto yelled through his hand which muffled the sound. Not as much as he'd like when he heard the guard say, "Someone there?" After a few stiff moments, the woman once again distracted the guard and Naruto let out a relieved sigh. Finding one of the slots lifted, Naruto walked over and looked down, it seemed to be a changing room. Hopping down lightly, making sure not to land on his bruised foot, Naruto checked out the room. It was the room in which you could leave your belongings and grab a towel. According to the sign above one of the sliding doors, it seemed to be the male changing room. Madara's cloths lay in a bunch in one of the cubby holes. Not feeling uncomfortable in the slightest, Naruto stripped himself of the dirty kimono and grabbed the nearest towel.

Naked except for the cloth, Naruto slid open another door and walked into the open space of the actual springs. It was impressive. It was large, clearly meant for a bigger village. Fifty people could fit in it without having to be disturbed by another group. There were rock formations that accented its appeal. Some were smaller and more decorative, while others were large and formed in semicircles for privacy. Heading towards one of these semicircles, Naruto stepped into the water. "Ah…" Naruto sighed with contentment; the hot water put him instantly at ease. Not caring where Madara had gone off to, he waded towards one of the rock formations. Before he got there though, a light splash could be heard farther back.

"Madara-san?" He whispered into the direction of the noise. No answer. Exasperated, Naruto rubbed his forehead. "I'm going to take a seat now." He said as quietly as possible; wouldn't do good to be caught now that they were inside. Heading back towards the rock formation Naruto waded in and found that the semicircle of stones had flat stacked piles of other stones that represented benches of sorts. "Cool." He said to no one and proceeded to sit on the center one, seeing as how thee where three of them. Sitting down caused most of his body to be covered except his head and shoulders; being engulfed by all the heat made Naruto hum happily. He could practically feel his skin becoming softer and his body thanking him. Letting his arms float out, Naruto closed his eyes and relaxed thoroughly.

A few minutes later he could hear the water parting for what he assumed was Madara. Not caring in the least for his state of undress, Naruto didn't bother to open his eyes. Seconds later he could feel him sit down on the same bench as him. "Hmmm." Naruto hummed, "Feels good." Waiting for an answering reply, he was met only by his breathing. _Eh?_ Opening his eyes he saw that yes, Madara was seated next to him, but he wasn't look at Naruto. Straightening up to have a better range of vision, he leaned forward and starred at Madara. "Something the matter?"

Madara only let his back touch the stone, head tilted back looking at the ceiling. A little weirded out by this change in character, Naruto scooted closer to Madara and touched his shoulder. Madara did not even flinch slightly and wiped the bangs out of his eyes, but other than that didn't do much. Observing him closely, Naruto stood up on his knees and looked down from his heightened position. There was an unfocused look to Madara's eyes, almost as if in a dreamlike state. Wanting to snap him out he did the least harmful thing he could do and flicked his nose. His touch caused Madara's eyes to snap back into focus and causes his body to spring upright.

Unfortunately for Naruto, because he had been looking down over him, this sudden movement caused him to become unbalanced and fall into the water. Coming up sputtering and choking, Naruto glared at the man before him. "That wasn't too kind." He said, wiping the hot water from his eyes.

"My apologies I didn't…." Madara whispered silently then said nothing all together. His mouth had dropped open, eyes wide, a blush quickly forming on his already red cheeks.

"What? Yeah, I get it you didn't meant it." Naruto finished for him, eyes now clear and water free. _What's wrong with him?_ Naruto thought to himself then felt a slightly different temperature on his upper half. Looking down he noticed that the towel had slipped during his careless fall. It wasn't much per se, but the wet towel had ridden low enough that the pink of his areola was slightly poking up from beneath the body-hugging towel. He also noticed that his erhem, 'headlights' were on, for whatever reason he didn't know. Somewhat embarrassed but not by much, Naruto pulled the towel up and crossed his arms, covering the show. "See what your clumsiness did?" He said trying not to let the blush appear on his face.

Madara had been slowly breathing heavier and his voice snapped him out of his ogling. With an actual head bow he apologized again. Naruto assumed the head bow was more to compose himself than to show actual remorse, but he'd take it anyway. Wading up to be right in front of the blushing young man, Naruto tilted Madara's chin up and looked at the evading eyes. "For a lady's man such as yourself, you seem to be quite the innocent." This made his eyes harden slightly in defense, then he jerked his head away. "To be candid, I am not used to the unforgiving display you made. Also, the way you disregard my presence, which is very male, is extremely perplexing."

Naruto could only laugh at his expense. _Because I'm not some blushing idiot he becomes uncomfortable. How very cavalier._ Smirking down at the youth, Naruto cocked his head. "Well then, do you wish for me to sigh at your body." He said then blinked his eyes flirtatiously, "Ogle at your strength," Naruto made his hands spider walk tantalizingly up his chest, "and swoon at your regality?" Then did just that and gave a very feminine soft moan and landed on his chest, head turn to the side.

"I-I, w-hat are y-you do..doing?!" Was all Madara could muster and his body tensed up tight, muscled corded up something fierce. Holding his laugh, Naruto looked up at the sputtering young man, eyes wide and alluring then intentionally pressed his breasts closer to his chest. "I'm sorry, but isn't this what you wanted me to do?"

Madara groaned huskily then jumped up, body turned away from him and ran out of the springs. Then grabbed his dirty clothes, jumped into the slot above, and was gone in the wink of an eye. Naruto saw all this happen within seconds and was silently impressed by his speed. Leaning back against the rock wall, Naruto giggled joyously. "Oh my goodness. He actually...he a-actually got turned on!" He struggled to say between giggles, sides beginning to hurt he tried to settle down, but every time he did the image of a turned on Uchiha, an obvious male bulge, and a sprint to the exit made him laugh all the harder. As if by karma, he heard the guard from earlier shout out into the springs. "Hey! No guests allowed after 8 p.m! Do not move from your location!" the circle of rocks gave him a little coverage but if the guard came any closer he'd get a real good look at his face.

"Shit!" he yelled, looking up, he noticed that there was another open slot right above him, there was a risk of losing the towel and flashing the guard though. _Fuck it! _Making sure it was wrapped as tight as it could go, Naruto gave a chakra infused jump and slipped through the slot perfectly, towel still intact. "Score!" He yelled cheerfully and headed to his temporary home, not really caring that he had left his clothing behind, they would disappear once he got to a certain distance anyway.

Grinning to himself, he roof hopped until he got to his tree home. "This has to be the greatest night so far." He said happily and climbed up. After a few moments of catching his breath, he changed into a simple black shirt and short combo, nothing special. Then with one last indulging chuckle, he fell asleep.

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><p>Ya like?! I know, sorry, I'm so perverted. Ahahah.<p>

I added the zero's cause my page breaks only work occasionally, weird huh?

If they bother you tell me what's up and I'll do what I can. :]

R&R ^^


	7. Re-Intro

Hello my loyal and patient readers! It's been forever, a little over a year? OH lord, let me do you all a favor and slap myself. .

So yeah, I just wanted to let you all know that I will be posting a chapter within the week! I know you all hate my guts as of now and are wondering why the hell I took so long to update?

To tell you the truth I had forgotten about this story, up until a few days ago when I was writing this ten-page paper for a lame class when I remembered, 'Hey, I used to write a shit-ton of pages all the time. Where, where where?OMG, in fanfiction!'

So I drudged up the title of this story and voila, here I am!

I will try my best to follow the sequence of the previous events, so bear with me, I'll try to have things match up and all, hopefully the tone of the story will match as well. I am by far the least person to be writing, but if it entertains you so that it makes me happy. :3 Just don't expect too much, bahahaha.

Some things to remember:

-Naruto sent to the past, young Madara time; he's 18/19. Naruto is 22. [No Taylor Swift reference, please!] :P

-She's pretty much a hobo in the Uchiha compound because, obviously she has no place to stay.

-She is a female, but Naruto refers himself as a male because that how he's been doing it his whole life.

-Naruto teases Madara because he can.

-Naruto wants to make Madara into a good guy, or at least lead him to become a person that doesn't fuck with him or his village in the future.

-Also, I think I mentioned they were casual sparring buddies. Either way, Naruto can only use mostly taijutsu in order to hide his shinobi training. [He's posing as a diplomats daughter.]

Okay, well I think that's it in a nutshell. I don't plan on editing the previous chapters, mostly because I'm lazy and because well...I'm lazy. You can mentally edit them if you like, I give you full permission. ;]

So yeah, chapter seven should be up in a few days, see you guys soon!

BTW: I feel so lost now, there's follows, faves, pictures, and I don't even know what?! _ Again, bare with this old, young lady! 3


	8. Chapter

OH LAWD, this thing was a monster to write! But you guys deserve a long chapter. 3 So here it is, just as promised. :3

Also, I haven't read the manga or anything in _forever_ so again; not gonna match up. If it contradicts anything that was released within this year and a half then I'm sorry, I am unaware of the canon story line! I mean like I stumbled upon an image a while back of a colorized Naruto chapter, with like red eyeshadow or something? I was like, "Say whaaaat?!" If that's any indication, that's how out of the loop I am. :B

BTW, here's a joke my sister sent me, I thought you would enjoy! :P

What did O say to Q?  
><em>Hey<em>, keep it in your pants!

Get it? Cuz it's his you know...eheh..eh...

Also, your encouragement is well received, you guys are effin' awesome! Also I love getting reviews in different languages. It's fun trying to decipher them in Google translate! :D Okay, that is all, I will stop my ramblings...

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, no monetary compensation earned from this. End of discussion.

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><p>Naruto bit his lower lip, worried about his current dilemma. He had once again woken to the site of leaves and a view of the Uchiha compound, but with no sight of a bed, or a window, or a decent roof. He was going on almost a full week at this tree. He seriously needed to find a proper place to lay at night. Shaking off the dirt and rubble that had gathered on him overnight, he set his mind on finding a modest room, if he had to extort someone for it then so be it, he was a ninja after all. Naruto wasn't too picky though, whether a shack or an abandoned warehouse, he didn't care, as long as he had a roof over his head. <em>I ain't diggin the whole bird toilet thing though.<em> He thought, noticing the trademark gatherings of white fecal matter around his 'bed.'

Deciding that his current state was not befitting a young woman, Naruto morphed into a presentable outfit. Ditching the bright colors from yesterday, he went for a more muted, beige-colored kimono. This time he would try his best to assimilate successfully. After a brief encounter with a stubborn tangle of hair, he deemed himself presentable,using the hand mirror he had bought yesterday, and jumped down from his branch, ready to wander the streets.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of aimless wanderings and half-hearted window shopping, Naruto finally reached a possible trail. He stumbled into a conversation between a few elderly members. He had heard them mention council meetings and something concerning the changing of political times. Piquing his interest, Naruto meandered over and gently asked if the council had finished their meetings yet, which to Naruto's dismay ended up in a negative answer.<p>

"No, I believe the council meets 'til midday," replied a withered old man offhandedly. Let down, but with some hope intact, Naruto thanked the group and edged out of the cluster, joining the bustling crowd of people.

"Midday?! It's still early, no later that ten!" yelled Naruto in exasperation. To think that he would have to wait around for that fool just so he could find a decent place to sleep was ludicrous; not to mention he had yet to give him a tour of the inner compound. _Well, I could say I'm honored that he offered._ Thought Naruto wryly to himself. Rarely did a ninja clan show the inner workings of a compound to an outsider, especially one that they knew little to nothing about. It spoke volumes of what Madara thought of him, and what he expected the other Uchiha members to think as well. Subconsciously though, Naruto knew it was only so Madara could show off his clan and impressive power. "But it's also pretty smart of him." Naruto said softly to himself. _If the inner compound meets me, even if it's a few members, then they know my face, my story, and the potentiality of my endangerment to them. Also, gives them an easier access to restrain me if needed._ Not that they would need to, Naruto was going to try to be on his best behavior...well as much as he got away with anyway. Nevertheless, Naruto had to still be cautious of this mini village, it was essentially a glorified ninja camp, and it was full of shinobi with deadly skills and mindsets.

With an exasperated sigh, he parted from the busier side of the main road, and headed off into a side street. If he had overheard correctly, one of the elderly women had mentioned that the council met in a long edifice with a distinctive door on this side of town. Whatever the door was, he knew not, but he figured he could spot it if it was so distinct.

Keeping his eyes sharp, he slowly walked through the long street into which he had picked. It was mostly lined with residential houses and a few small businesses advertising accounting services and home repairs. He guessed it was the side of the compound with less than glamorous dealing. Though it didn't stop him from subtly examining every detail of these storefronts. Perhaps the council used one of these stores as a façade for their actual meeting place. It was a bit paranoid of him to think this way, but it didn't hurt for him to be cautious, he was after all trained in spotting these kind of setups. Reaching out his hand, he laid his fingertips on the wooden structures as he slowly walked pass. A trick he had learned from Jiraiya was that some secret hideouts had a distinctive seal, that though they were invisible to the naked eye, they couldn't help but give off a small pulse of chakra. Advancing forward, he zoned out any disturbances and concentrated on feeling a significant power source, or anything out of place.

_Nope. Nothing. Ow, sharp edge. Normal. Normal. Uhhh..didn't need to see that. Okay, zilch. _Naruto thought with exasperation, he had walked by at least twelve buildings and he had yet to see anything interesting. Excluding the half dressed man in a wig-whatever that was all about, he didn't know-but nothing had caught his eye. Nearing the last two houses he tried to stay positive, perhaps they felt like going with the cliché and be the last house on the right? As he continued to drag his fingertips along the store fronts he slowed down, and stopped in front of the last building, looking up he couldn't help but smile tightly. _Fuck._ He mentally cursed, because what laid in front of him...was nothing but a run-down antique store. No chakra pulse, no suspicious activity, no interesting door, just a lame and dilapidated building. "Gaaah, can't I ever catch a break?! He yelled at the edifice, pounding on the rotted window frame. The building gave a slight cough of dust, but nothing else.

Turning around, Naruto decided to continue his search in the next street. _I'm gonna start hating this place._ He retraced his steps and made it halfway before he heard a slight rustling. Whipping around he stared suspiciously at one of the alleyways that he had just passed. _Activate badass mode. _Naruto thought, half serious, half-jokingly. Whoever it was had to be a civilian, no trained shinobi would be so loud in his stalkings. Naruto got as close to the wall to the edifice as he could, and took unhurried steps, slowly nearing the bend to the alley. Stopping right at the corner, he listened again, hoping to catch a sound of whoever was near. Nothing. _Hm, tricky little bastard. _Just as he was about to turn the corner, a tall figure shuffled right into the main street and if Naruto had not heard it at the last second, would have knocked him on his feet. Naruto quickly jumped back and smiled, he was not expecting this. Relaxing his body, he cocked his head to the side curiously.

"Naoki-san! What a _pleasant_ surprise!" Naruto cheekily announced, he couldn't help but exhale with amusement. Naoki looked just as the day he had met him, tall, unruly hair covering his eyes, and like last time, with scrolls bundled up in his hands. _Was he following me?_ He then thought, suspicion overruling his amusement.

Noaki stuttered out a quick greeting, shuffling the scrolls in his hand nervously. "G-good morning, Naruto-san." He all but meeped.

_Lord, give me strength._ Naruto thought with slight annoyance, sure it was endearing in some ways, but this young man reminded him too much of a young Hinata, and it took way too many years to count for her to finally relax around him. Shaking his head of nostalgic musings, he bowed slightly to Naoki and readied his questions, he didn't already want to start suspecting people, but it was never harmful to make sure.

"How are you this fine morning? I don't mean to pry, but did you have any business around here? I didn't not know there was much to do in alleyways." Naruto said pleasantly, but with a hint of suspicion. The young man could only flush, guilt covering what features Naruto could see. _A-ha._

"You must f-forgive me Naruto-san. For you s-see, it was mere coincidence that I saw. That I. Uhm, that I happened to see y-you. I did not know wha-what I could do. Well, could not react. At least p-properly. I mean…that is…." Noaki whispered, hunching into himself and backing into the alley again, then bumping into the corner of what resembled a trashcan. A loud crash was heard as Naoki yelped loudly and jumped out of the way of falling garbage.

Naruto watched all this happen and grinned, how could he suspect such a flustered adolescent? _How awkward can one guy be, though?_ Grinning, he turned the corner into the alley and saw the disorder that Naoki had caused and sighed, "Naoki, it was simply light banter. Don't fret over my question, I really _was_ surprised." He said as he lightly scooted the garbage to the side and patted Naoki's arm, a silent apology in his eyes.

Looking up from his hunched position, glittering green eyes regarded her with obvious guard. After a few seconds, Naoki relaxed lightly, a shy smile forming on his face. "Thank you, Naruto-san…." He said with an almost reverent tone.

_Okaaaay._ Naruto arched an eyebrow questioningly but let it go. _What a strange, strange boy._ He reflected. "If you don't mind, Naoki-san, may I ask where you are headed? I don't mean to be forward, but I am quite out of my element and am in need of some friendly company."

Blushing brightly, Naoki nodded furiously. "O-of course! I mean to say, I am on my way to a council meeting but of course you may a-acc-accompany me there. I don't believe it would be any problem. I h-hope."

_Bingo! Damn, I am one lucky sunavobitch!. _Naruto internally cried out with glee, someone up there was surely looking out for him.

"**Get on with it. I do not comprehend how you waste time celebrating when it might not even be the council you are looking for." **Kyuubi butted in negatively.; a deep rumbling coursing through Naruto's mind.

'_Really, you shouldn't be such a downer. I can hope, and if not, I can just keep looking, you're just restless is all. Which, by the way, is making you pretty much un-fucking-bearable._ Naruto thought snidely.

"**Would you not be as well if you were in my position? Also, do not wave off the fact you have yet to use any of our major chakra. Your mind and body stink with staleness. It is not good for either of us." **Kyuubi fired back.

Naruto stilled. Of course. He almost forgot. Through his ordeal, he had yet to use any amount of jutsu that required a large portion of his chakra reserve. Both Kyuubi and him had learned that throughout the process of regularly expelling chakra, a stronger connection formed between them. Otherwise, their combined chakras tended to weigh them down, making it hard to communicate. It was almost like letting a house build dust and having to breath it in every day, and large jutsus were the equivalent of cleaning it out once in a while. This problem was not extremely impeding, it was only slightly uncomfortable; which the Nine-Tails hated to be. _The little pansy._ Naruto mocked.

"**Naruto…"** The demon warned.

'_Okay, okay, my bad, let's just hope this place is it.'_

Coming back to the outside world, he smiled at Naoki, who had been patiently awaiting his response. With a happy bounce, he motioned for Naoki, "Lead the way!" He chirped, and followed with hopefulness as Naoki shuffled away towards the main roads.

Naruto followed Naoki as he quickly blabbed about what the meeting would entail and apologized for any dullness. Naruto simply waved it off and nodded when he needed to and made himself look like he was intent on the subject.

"…I would need one small favor though." Naruto caught Naoki saying, with the most serious tone Naruto had heard from him yet. Hiding his surprise, Naruto agreed quickly and listened to his proposition. After a few quick lines from Naoki, Naruto once again had to hold himself back from giggling.

_No, Naoki-san, it is _you_ who is doing _me_ the favor.  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Let this here be the last time we hear of this situation. The children do not require an extra estate for recreation. Funding must be allocated to the supplement of weapons to Actives, at least for the time being." Boomed the powerful voice of Ryota.<p>

A few voices disagreed, but with a stern look, the room quieted and grudgingly settled. Though not always proper, Ryota knew how to end a topic when needed. Failing to hide a prideful grin, Ryota picked up a scroll from a dwindling pile to his left and began another topic.

"Next on the agenda is regarding the previously mentioned allocation of weapons; specifically the metal supplier. As of these past few months, we have commissioned Naoki-san, from division two, sector seven. As stated on the report, he has successfully raised the shipment amount sixty percent, and increasing every week. Metal quality is surprisingly high while production costs are low. We have Naoki scheduled to speak more in depth, he shall also relay the message from the foreign affairs section he has recently been working alongside with Madara-sama." With a nod, Ryota motioned to one of the council assistants behind him. Said assistant quickly left the room to fetch Naoki. The council waited silently, readjusting robes, and softly continuing subjects on unrelated topics. After a few moments, a knock was heard at the door, causing the room to still.

"Enter," replied Ryota.

In shuffled Naoki with the bundle of scrolls in his hands. One to which he gave to Ryota, and the others to which he distributed among the council members.

With a deep breath, the shy Naoki transformed before the councils eyes, straightening out and dispelling the shy and timid look about him. Now was a businessman with a goal in mind and with a confidence that graced those knowledgeable in their field.

Slowly but surely, important information began to spill out of the adolescent's mouth, causing the council to jot down notes and begin the process of discussion.

* * *

><p>Naruto sat outside the door of what he assumed was the council meeting room, mentally counting the minutes he had been sitting outside; on what had to be the world's-most-uncomfortable bench. <em>My ass hurts.<em> Naruto whined internally, and stood up slowly, stretching into an almost painful arch. He looked around and smirked, remembering as to how they had merely walked into this place.

Once the council building had entered their sights, he knew why the elderly woman had specifically mentioned the door. It was a wide, rounded red door with three black decals painted on it, the door was so big that four men could walk through it, shoulder to shoulder. It was almost amusingly big, he was pretty sure no man could grow up to be that size, not even an Akimichi. What really made him want to laugh, was the fact that the red door had an uncanny resemblance to the Sharingan. _Subtle and humble, the council is not._

Coming back to his present self, he observed the mostly blank area around him. Besides the closed door to his left, there was not much to see. It was a stark white building with doors spaced widely from each other, indicating large rooms. He could only see to his left, for his right was the entrance to the edifice. It reminded him of a hotel, but without the fancy trimmings and the always-present lazy concierge. Now that he thought about, there was no one he could visibly see. No one had asked for his identification, no one had questioned him or Naoki, not a single soul roamed this desolate-seeming building. All that had transpired when they entered was a subtle chakra pulse that had vibrated throughout the building. Other than that, nothing. _Pretty neat._ Naruto mused; no guards, no seals, just a chakra indication system. So_ economical. So simple._

Ruffling his bangs out of the way, Naruto crossed his hands behind his head and pouted. Frankly he was bored out of his mind. He had been sitting there for almost half an hour now, with nothing to entertain him or keep him occupied. Naoki did warn of the dullness of the situation, yet he didn't expect it to drag on for so long.

Sighing in exasperation, he continued to stretch, hearing his joints cracking with satisfaction. "_Well,_ I guess it wouldn't hurt to explore this place just a _liiiittle_." He whispered mischievously to no one in particular. Heading to one of the hallways, he decided to find out at least something about this place. Nearing the closest wooden door, he stopped and analyzed what he could of it. Which wasn't much, it was a solid wooden door, with an ordinary doorknob, other than that nothing stood out. _Wait_, Naruto stopped, _there's no room number._ He scratched the back of his head, how in the world did they know where to meet?It must have something to do with that chakra signature system. _Sneaky, sneaky. _ Testing the doorknob, it was predictably locked. Naruto did this for another few minutes before becoming bored once again and returning to his original spot.

"Hurry up, Naoki." _I ain't got all damn day. _Naruto thought with irritation, but then paused_. Wait, I guess I technically do.  
><em>

As if answering his pleas, a few seconds later, the door next to him creaked open, a man twice his age motioned for him to follow him. Smiling politely, Naruto stood up and followed. _Finally!_

Entering the doorway, he was surprised to see another door, directly in front of the door he had walked through. His guide looked back, and stared at Naruto, after a few moments he spoke harshly, "Speak only when spoken to. Do not ask unnecessary questions. Do not make any sudden movement." He said quickly, pausing for an affirmitive sign from Naruto. Something must have shown on his face, because the man said more gently, "And do not be afraid, they are good men." Naruto smiled politely and nodded. The man turned around once again and quickly knocked on the door in a succession of short, calculated raps. A few seconds passed before some unheard indication caused the man to open the door.

Naruto couldn't help but feel slightly nervous, it was exciting to be only a few steps away of a room full of such influential men, even if they were Uchiha. He wondered if they would reject the idea of having a woman here. _But what do I know? Maybe there are plenty of women involved in crucial, high-stakes political matters._ Naruto thought sarcastically; if the Uchiha men of this time were any similar to how Madara had acted, or to the Uchiha that he had been involved with in his timeline, then he might have a slight problem on his hands.

Taking a deep breath, he followed the guide and stepped out and next to him, then began to observe the set-up before him. The room was a long, and rounded area. The walls were white and mostly plain, mimicking the layout of the hallways, and were lined with lights that encircled the space. A huge table, which was round as well, was in the middle of the room, with about twelve men sitting at it. Each man looked at her inquisitively, some more obvious than the next, but all curious. Even a man who was uncharacteristically dark compared to the rest, and seemed to reign over this particular meeting, appeared caught off guard, his eyebrows nearly reaching his hairline. Scanning the rest of the group and memorizing them quickly, he picked out a familiar-looking one. It was none other than Madara himself, trying somewhat succesfully to hide a shocked look from his face. Inwardly smiling, Naruto couldn't help but gloat._ Found ya!_ His internal boasting was cut short when a nervous cough caused Naruto to look behind him. It was Naoki, a serious look on his face, which caused Naruto to cock an eyebrow.

Sensing the importance of resuming the meeting, he walked over to Naoki and stood next to him, hands clasped in front of him, and a smile placed on his face. Waiting for what he hoped was Naoki's introduction, he simply stood there, trying not to look suspicious.

"And this here, is my recently appointed assistant. I would like you to meet Naruto-san, she is an extremely capable young women with experience in the field of foreign affairs and business negotiations." Naoki said, without a hitch in his voice, or any indication that what he was saying was total bullshit.

Naruto stepped forward slightly and bowed, "It is an honor to meet you all," then gave an honest smile and stepped back next to Naoki. What accompanied next was a whole mess of political jabber that Naruto really didn't feel like remembering. What mostly transpired was him trying to look profession and competent while Naoki continued some presentation he had already started, as well as answering the questions which the men addressed about her. Chiefly about how they had come to meet and things like that. Naoki cleverly mentioned how they hadn't known each other for long but sensing her expertise, they had paired up in an effort to optimize each others' business. Naruto nodded when appropriate and returned simple answers as to' how old she was' and 'how long she had been involved' with 'these type of affairs.' Other than that, Naoki directed the conversation and the flow of the meeting, coming back to mention numbers and strategies which flew over Naruto's head. He had to admit that seeing this side of Naoki was interesting to say the least, he saw an experienced businessman, suited for this type of thing. _If I didn't know he was lying, I wouldn't doubt him for a second_. He reflected, zoning in out of the conversation, all the while giving the room his attention. Naruto didn't miss the fact that Madara barely uttered more than three words, or the way a man seated across from said Uchina was constantly giving him amused glances.

* * *

><p>After some bouncing back between the council and Naoki, and at one point, Naruto, they were promptly dismissed and escorted out.<p>

Naoki and Naruto walked out of the building in a tense silence, none bothering to start the conversation. Both walked aimlessly for a few minutes, leaving the less than populated area they had been in to join the now busy center of the compound. After passing a few yelling merchants and giggling children, Naruto couldn't take it anymore and cracked.

"Goodness, how can you be so silent Naoki-san?! That was _quite_ an ordeal! Did you see Madara-san's face? If I could capture that image for the rest of my life I do not believe I could be more amused!" He exclaimed, looking at Naoki with glee. Naoki only smiled softly, a furious blush adorning his face.

"I will ad-m-m-it, it was amusing. B-but I ca-n-not say I do not feel guilty. I h-h-ope Madara-sama is not too mad. What possessed me to d-do that, I am u-unsure." he trailed off, voice thick with guilt.

"OH, you worry too much, Naoki-san. Friends forgive each other easily! Let me treat you to lunch. It is the least I can do for that huge favor you just paid me." Naruto said happily, reaching out and laying his hand on Naoki's wrist. Naoki only looked at said wrist as if it was a foreign object and the blush that had just drained from his face returned with a vengeance.

"I...I..."

Sighing with exasperation, and knowing well that Naoki would just stand there if he didn't do anything, Naruto grabbed his wrist and headed for the nearest eating establishment, a flabbergasted Naoki in tow.

"Besides Naoki-san, if what you said in there is genuine, then you need to catch me up in your dealings. I shall make it my goal to be the best assistant you have ever had!" And with a quick tug, they entered a random restaurant.

* * *

><p><em>That WOMAN! <em>Madara thought furiously to himself. The council meeting had just barely ended, one hour after Naoki and Naruto's presentation; one of the longest hours of his lifetime_. Such a plight, I was not was expecting today. _Madara fumed.

When he had walked into the council meeting that day, he had expected: repetitious topics, unnecessary funding, project reviewal and maybe a battle of wills between Ryota and a member, but not _this._ It irked him to know that Naoki had not brought this situation up to him earlier, or at all for that matter. They were collaborating in these affairs together for a reason and Uchiha Madara was never to be kept out of the loop, especially concerning someone as submissive as Naoki. If Naoki was not so deeply tied to the commerce of the compound, he would have surely created a report to have him demoted or expelled form the prestigious area in which his business presided. But Naoki's family had been involved with metal trade ever since the Uchiha's began creating weapons, so a power move as complicated as that was out of the question. Jumping onto the nearest roof, he worked his way through the many divisions of the compound, searching for Naoki's signature, in order to find him and potentially engage in an unorthodox quarrel.

Freezing on the current roof, Madara growled. _What madness has come over me?!_

Taking a deep breath, Madara tried to calm himself. He realized the ridiculous consequences he was thinking of and quickly trampled them out of his mind. It was not healthy to think of a close friend in such a way, especially due to it concerning a woman. Naoki and him had been through too much to have their friendship end in a day. Massaging his temples, Madara tried to analyze the current situation, settling back into his shinobi training. After a few moments of quiet thinking, Madara sectioned off the information he knew into a region of his brain and began to organize it all. He knew Naruto-san was indeed a diplomat involved with foreign affairs, so that was within reason. The only problem though, was the hazard situation this set up between an unknown power and the Uchihas. Naoki-san did have the privilege to appoint whoever he deemed worthy, so it was out of Madara's hands. Though a possible heir, the men of the Uchiha family were taught never to interject in business matters of another Uchiha family, at least if they couldn't help it. The most he could do was ask the pair as to what they were actually thinking. Which led him back to the woman that had been on his mind more than he deemed to admit.

_Did Naruto-san convince Naoki_? _How did she get acquainted in these matters to begin with? Who in the hells is this woman, really?_ With a quick surge of power, he began on his search again, he could not simply stand there and wait for the answers to come to him. Now that he thought about it, he had left the council building without much grace. He had not exactly escaped frlm the room, but he had not stayed and conversed with the rest of the members either; the topic of which was centrally based on Naruto. He had exited the room without a second glance, hoping to avoid Izuna's amused looks, he did not have the time to deal with his brother at the moment. "Perhaps when I have figured this all out, a proper beating is in order." He said to himself, it had been a while since he had sparred with his brother, it would do him some good to relax and wrangle with his sibling. Though they were both young, they had to train arduously -both politically and physically- which took up the majority of their time. Time which they had little of, even less now so for Madara who he felt had to keep an eye out for Naruto-san. _She will also have to join in the sparring, I have yet to properly overcome her._ Madara thought with excitement. To fight with Naruto-san was a gratifying experience to which was hard for him to admit. Even more so when all they considered were taijutsu maneuvers. It was difficult to believe she was not a kunoichi, she contained all the tools of one...

After that thought, Madara was once again reminded of the previous day. Without being able to control it, a slight flush grew on his face. The more he tried to calm it, the more it grew as the events replayed over and over in the young Uchiha's mind. In his mind's eye, he saw a playful Naruto daring him to break into his own hot springs. He saw himself answering her challenge and expertly sneaking in, Naruto following close behind. What ensued next caused Madara to hop down from the roofs and plant himself on the sturdiest branch close by. Leaning his shoulder against the trunk, he groaned in agitation. _How can a woman stimulate me so?!_

He could not stop the the rest of the images bombarding his mind.

* * *

><p>He entered the springs, confident that a woman would not de-robe herself to a man she barely knew, even one as bizarre as Naruto-san. With that secure thought in mind, he had stepped into the hot water of the soothing springs and had made himself comfortable at his favorite location, one which was not too visible to spot, especially for a newcomer.<p>

What he had not expected however, was hearing the slight rush of water as someone entered the springs, specifically Naruto-san, only wrapped in a towel. He could not help to stare at the form before him. One that was slowly striding away from him. He had merely laughed at that time, applauding Naruto's valiance, but now he could not help but think of that situation perversely. Which was heightened more so when he had joined Naruto-san, and she had the audacity to tease him! _And have it affect him so much that he rushed out like a inexperienced child!_ It was enough to make Madara hate himself ever so slightly. Once again he was reminded of the rare creature that was this Naruto-san. No one had ever made him feel so insecure. _No one. _Not his father, not Ryota, not even other lustful women. It was distressing to be so out of control, it was enough to drive an Uchiha mad.

After his shameful exit he had rushed to his home, ignoring the calls of his fellow kin, and had barricaded himself in his room. _Like a child, once again. _Madara thought with anger and self-contempt. How could a woman barely three years his senior have such power over him? _I can never triumph in the situations she puts me in._

He had stayed up late the rest of the evening, going through random jutsus and katas, trying to expel as much energy as possible. This led long into the night, until he finally crawled to his bed, exhausted both in body and mind. With a annoyed snort, he closed his eyes, ready for slumber, only to have the image of Naruto-san's breast appear before him. Growling, he pulled at his bangs. "Give me piece!" He yelled to the walls, and rolled over in his futon, ready to sleep, if he had to force his body, then so be it.

He had stayed up til the dawn of morning, getting no more than two hours of sleep before he had mercifully passed out. Once he had awoken, he had to patrol the compound and meet with several of the family's advisers, all which noted his haggard appearance, but mentioned nothing of it. After an uneventful day, he had finally headed towards the last on his agenda: the council meeting. A place where he usually relaxed, it comforted him to know about the inner workings of the village, and to have a deciding factor in it all. That all changed when Madara expecting to see a young male, the newest assistant to Naoki-san, was shocked speechless as he saw a very female body enter the room. A female body which he recognized immediately as Naruto-san's.

* * *

><p>Pounding the bark before him, he couldn't help but grit his teeth. He now had quite an evident problem showing. Looking at his groin, he exhaled sharply, to run around the compound in such a state was indecent to say the least. Quickly flexing his thigh muscles, he began sprinting once again towards Naoki's location, a quick rush of blood to the rest of his body was the appropriate course of action.<p>

As he did this, he noticed other members of his clan doing the same, only in different directions. Some he recognized as young boys, most likely delivering a scroll, while others had the feel of matured mission-goers. It was hard to tell, but it never ceased to amuse him, even if you passed a fellow shinobi within a few inches, neither party ever acknowledged the other. Smirking internally, Naoki's signature trail tugged to his right, to which he adjusted appropriately; Madara jumped down to the street bellow him. Straightening himself out, thankfully sans his earlier dilemma, he looked up to peer at what read as an eating establishment.

Walking in languidly, he scanned for his friend, within the second he spotted him in a corner booth, talking softly to what could only be Naruto-san, if the bright shock of blonde hair was any indication. Said woman was telling an animated story by the look of her wild gestures and expressive face. Almost as if sensing him, Naruto's gaze shifted from Naoki to him, an amused glint in her eyes. With a small flick, Naruto raised her hand and waved it slightly, causing Naoki to look back. Madara saw the expected look of fear on Naoki's face, eyes already starting to water, and hands clenched at his chest. Sighing soberly, Madara made his way to their table, ignoring the patron's adoring looks and the fumbling host who was trying to seat him. A behavior in which he wished everyone acted upon, present company especially included. With a dismissive shake to the gushing manager, he sat down next to Naoki, which caused the young man to stiffen up more and stutter out chocked apologies.

Annoyed, but also glad that Naoki had seen his erroneous behavior and was justly trying to get back into his good graces, Madara simply nodded, wishing to no longer hear him stammer out incomplete sentences. With several deep bows, or as much as could be accomplished sitting at a table, Naoki thanked Madara profusely, going on about repaying him and such. Acknowledging this, Madara patted Naoki on the shoulder then turned his attention towards Naruto.

He was once again taken aback by the obvious head-turner that was Naruto-san. The highly amused features that she displayed made her appear even more charming. He noted the way she looked at him expectantly, most likely already prepared with witty comments regarding their earlier encounter. Hoping to level the playing field, he decided to start a random conversation.

"In two hours, you can be ready to see the compound." He said smoothly, adjusting his bangs, seeming cooler than a cucumber.

To his immense satisfaction, Naruto's face slackened with surprised, mouth slightly agape. Basking in her reaction, he quickly order a meat dish and resumed his observation, if they were ready to leave was no importance to him, one should always have time for an Uchiha, especially himself.

Taking a sip out of the tea he had just received Madara, chuckled under his breath.

"I love how you say that as if it was simply thought of this second, you do know that you left me waiting last time. To think an Uchiha such as yourself would leave a lady, no less a diplomats daughter and the newly appointed assistant of your highest grossing weapons dealer, anticipating your return. I do feel slightly offended, so excuse me if I'm surprised by your tone, Madara-san." She said demurely, eyes clearly showing the opposite, taunting him once again.

Clenching the cup of tea, he blinked slowly, hoping to hide his slight irritation. _And she finds a way to best me, I am a fool to have thought I could put throw her off-balance. _Madara couldn't help but smile, which turned into a audible laugh. Which to Madara's pleasant surprise caused an equal response from Naruto, reciprocating his laughter. A very confused Naoki could only stare in bewilderment._  
><em>

"I suppose you are right, Naruto-san. You will have to forgive me." He replied, not at all apologetic.

"And I expect my unannounced employment to Naoki-san was a bit unprecedented, which I also apologize for." Naruto responded, mimicking Madara's tone of voice. "I do ask that you do not castigate him for something that I asked for, it was a spur of the moment idea, you see." She said, winking at Naoki-san.

Nodding slowly, Madara regarded Naoki, "Well, if Naoki believes it is a wise decision, then I won't intercede. I do hope that you bring future decisions such as this to me earlier." He said, making it clear he was over this faux pas, but was not expecting any repetition soon. Naoki gladly accepted and smiled delightedly to the Uchiha heir.

Hearing Naruto clear her throat, he looked back at her once again, awaiting whatever comment she was about to make.

"There is one other matter though. You see as to how I arrived, quite unprepared if you recall, I am in desperate need of proper lodgings."

Madara couldn't hide his grimace. _Heavens, where has she been staying all this time?_

Sensing his question, Naruto waved off his expression, "No matter how I got by, I would only wish for you to absolve this issue. Unless this is how you treat all ambassadors of foreign lands. If so, please educate me on your system." Naruto said sardonically, leaning in towards him, hands crossed forming a platform for her to lay her chin on.

Gulping nervously, Madara quickly recovered from his blunder and hastily procured a solution. "For that I do honestly -pologize, there is a room waiting for your presence, it is reserved for p-persons such as yourself. It is conveniently in the inner compound, which we can double up on the tour. If you'd like, we can go there now and hurry along the process." He replied, holding down the flush that wanted to so _charmingly_ crawl up his neck. _My father will have my head for not figuring this out sooner._ He chastised himself. Madara assumed his father already knew of Naruto's arrival, for there was little the head of the Uchiha clan knew, especially regarding those closest to him. The fact that none of his close kin had asked him about Naruto-san, demonstrated the respect they held for his decision-making. A trait which he had just shown needed more work.

With a smile that lit up the whole room, Naruto responded happily. "Why that sounds perfect! I expect the best, considering what you have put me through this past week." Naruto added coyly. Madara gritted his teeth silently. _Will I hear no end to this?_ Once again, it was not common to feel guilt towards any person; it was quite difficult to deal with. Holding down the snarky remark he so desperately wanted to disclose, Madara only nodded stifly, not being able to hide the cross look in his eyes.

He didn't think it was possible, but Naruto's smile brightened even more, which triggered a strange warmth in Madara. Blinking rapidly he coughed and waved off the feeling. Looking down upon the food that the host had just placed in front of him, he began eating silently, ignoring Naoki and Naruto. _I must be hungry. _ Madara thought lamely.

After a few bites, Naoki and Naruto continued their conversation; or more like Naruto spoke while Naoki listened and nodded when appropriate. "Well, as I was _saaaaying_, there I was in a completely alone, in the princess' chamber when out of nowhere..."

* * *

><p>After a few minutes, Madara had finished his lunch and had reluctantly joined in the conversation. He was still upset about Naruto mocking him, but it was hard to stay upset too long with that woman. So he had offhandedly commented on a hole in Naruto's story, which to his delight she had flushed with embarrassment, and admitted she had <em>slightly<em> exaggerated some details. Chuckling softly, he had continued to badger other points in her tall tale which she had reacted to quite amusingly. At last in his element, he had switched the topic to something more debatable, in which Naruto, and even the ever timid Naoki participated in; Madara had to confess he enjoyed it. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed himself in such a way, a way that did not include mission completions or shinobi trickery. Feeling it was an appropriate opportunity to end the discussion, he stood up and edged out of the booth.

"I believe now is a good a time as any to give you a tour of the inner compound, Naruto-san." He said, laying down the money to pay for all three of them. Following suit, Naoki and Naruto scooted out as well, gathering the few belongings they had, well, mostly Naoki.

Dusting off her kimono, Naruto slapped down her own money, and returned his previous amount back to him. _What is she going to go on about now?_ He thought with slight beguilement.

"I promised Naoki-san I would buy him lunch and I won't go back on my promise. I might as well pay for you too Madara-san, I don't want to be seen as rude." She said, her brilliant blue eyes shining with mirth.

"Hn," was all he could reply with. It was not in his nature to accept money from a woman, but someone as unpredictable as Naruto would probably cause more of a scene that he would like to be involved with if he refused.

Naruto shrugged her shoulders at Naoki, then gestured towards the exit, "Now gentlemen, should we head out?" With a silent agreement, Madara walked out of the building, Naruto and Naoki in tow. He couldn't help but feel jittery. _Just you wait Naruto-san, you will be beside yourself when you witness the Uchiha greatness.  
><em>

* * *

><p>Naruto waved goodbye to Naoki as he entered his home, well more like shuffled, but you got the point. He turned and looked at Madara with concealed excitement, he was finally going to get to see this inner compound he was so damn proud of. Naruto imagined how it would look like, if Konoha was any clue, then it would probably to similar to the Uchiha sector, but most likely more battle oriented that residential. Whatever the layout, he would soon find out. <em>Check <em>me _out! Going into a_ _district practically no one has ever seen! Everyone is going to be so jealous_. Naruto thought with glee, which then turned into a more somber emotion. It hadn't even been a full week but he missed them greatly. If he hadn't given himself this assignment, he would be beating up whoever he needed to in order to find a way back. _But I gotta do this. I have to. I don't care if they don't even realize it, but I _will_ help Konoha._

Dispelling his heavy mood, Naruto motioned towards the road and stared at Madara," Lead the way."

With the trademark, 'Hn,' Madara began walking, away from the busy streets and shouting merchants, Naruto soon following after.

Within fifteen minutes Madara stopped outside a wall, about twenty feet high. The wall extended sideways as far as Naruto could see, with a slight bend on each end, indicating it was a round structure, encompassing whatever was inside. Stepping closer to it, he noticed the wall had no discernible doors, only s smooth gray surface. _Do we just walk jump over it?_ Naruto thought apprehensively. One again, there was no signs of guards, or sentries. Looking over at Madara, the Uchiha motioned for him to stand beside him, "You will need to be next to me for what happens next."

Smirking at this somewhat ambiguous phrase, Naruto did so without a hesitation. With a slight nod, Madara focused on the wall before him, a look of concentration on his face. Extending his arms, his palms hovered over the plain surface, hands still as only a ninja could accomplish. Then, with a slight movement, he sank his hands _into_ the plane, hands invisible, seeming as if they had been cut off and appearing as if his arms began at the wrist. "What the?!" Naruto exclaimed, not bothering to censor his slang.

With a satisfied smirk, Madara then extended his 'hands' apart from each other, forming a 'Y' shape. Continuing to do this, Naruto noticed that the walls began to give way, and disappear right before his eyes. Within a matter of seconds, an oval like doorway was carved out of the wall. Though carved was not the right word seeing as how the edges of the entryway pulsed and morphed ever so slightly, almost like water washing up to shore; ebbing this way and that. Naruto's mouth dropped. _How in the hell...?_

Dropping his left hand, Madara gave Naruto his right, palm facing up. Realizing he meant for him to grab it, Naruto composed himself and took it. Closing it, Madara led them through the entryway. Once all the way through, Madara turned around, and with and audible 'pop!' closed the portal.

Not one to pay Uchiha's many compliments, Naruto couldn't help but remark on what he had just experienced. "That...was. Amazing."

All but puffing up his chest, Madara gave him a cocky smile. "The Uchiha family strives to be the most innovative when it comes to security systems." Madara answered, almost as if reciting some creed.

Naruto could only nod, head still in a jumble trying to figure out how they could possibly do that. Not supplying her with any sort of answer, Madara continued walking. Naruto slowly followed, taking in the sights around him. What he spotted immediately was just how grand everything was. There were huge houses, almost mini-replicas of noble castles. They extended up to what seemed like three stories. How he had not spotted them while walking upon this compound he couldn't fathom how. _Probably due to that fancy system of theirs._ Beside each buildings were smaller architectures, _filled_ with shinobi of all walks of life, either sharpening a kunai or bandaging a wounded comrade. The shops for lack of a better word, had no doors and had men and Naruto was happy to see, couple of women, walk in and out of them regularly. It appeared as if they had combined a clinic, a weapon's station, and a briefing room all into one. Sensing her impeding questions, Madara began to play the tour guide._  
><em>

"What you see is Quarter One. The tall structures you can observe are the houses of some of the highest esteemed Uchiha families. They are mostly owned by the families more commonly involved with shinobi life, they also double up as dojos and special training rooms in which enclosed perimeters are necessary. The smaller structures next to them are what we call the tactic rooms. There, according to what type of mission, shinobi are sent and briefed as well as debriefed on their assignments. Any injuries acquired during or after their missions are also dealt with there."

Continuing with his self-assigned role, Madara led Naruto past Quarter One. Nodding and acknowledging the greetings of his fellow brethren and comrades. Some of the younger men were not as concentrated on Madara and would shout curious questions to Naruto, to which Madara only waved off. "Pay them no heed, it is rare a civilian comes into this district." Madara said blandly, but either way picked up his pace ever so slightly. _Oooh, someone doesn't want me talking to people. _Thought Naruto with an urge to cause a scene. _Maybe...later._

A short walk had them passing this section, accompanied by a few more inquisitive looks; of which surprised Naruto. Whenever a hot young piece of ass entered any ninja camp he had ever been or had been transferred to, catcalls and explicit comments would always be shouted at the new comer. The men would fall over themselves for the opportunity to strike up a conversation with the secretary, messenger, newbie, or whoever had been suckered into coming into that part of the village. Although shinobi were trained assassins, it did not been they didn't like to let loose once in a while. Nevertheless, Naruto was impressed by their control; he didn't know if it was because 'this woman' was with Madara, or because that's how all Uchiha men were, but it was still pretty notable. _Guess they've been uptight their whole fuckin' existence._ Naruto thought shrewdly. It was not smart to keep all that bottled in, especially with hot-blooded young men and women. Although, he did notice a few men obviously checking her out, not exactly ogling, but just this side of it. Shrugging it off, he continued walking past Quarter One. They then reached what Naruto assumed was Quarter Two, which Madara confirmed. This area was slightly less populated, but still bustling with active ninja.

It had a more muted feel to it, to which Madara replied it was due to it being where all the financial issues were handled, concerning mission payments and other services such as their police force. This area had a more typical look to it, with small, bland intimate buildings side by side. Having not much more to say, they walked on. Looking at the young Uchiha next to him, Naruto noticed he seemed more relaxed, and if possible, with a more confident stride to his step. He wondered why for a split second then he came to a quick conclusion. _He's home._ Naruto smiled. It was hard to believe that this future psychopath had some humane qualities, though they were few. Noticing her observations he cocked an eyebrow at her, the trademark Uchiha, 'What?'_  
><em>

Shaking his head at the unspoken question, Naruto continued on the tour. After a few seconds Madara resumed his guiding; stopping in front of an area with elaborate houses side by side. "Lastly, this is Sector Three, the sleeping quarters. Your room is on the far right, it is an lavish room filled with more than you can bother with. There should be no problem accommodating you with bedding and board, if you follow me I can show you exactly where you will be staying." sighing happily, Naruto slumped slightly. Though it was barely past three, he couldn't help but feel tired. I mean he was all for sleeping in trees, hell, it was what he did when he was bored. But having no choice in the matter had taxed this feminine body more than he was used to. Not to mention the extra curves he now carried were hard to deal with at times. Especially breasts. Damn did he love them, but it was just not cool to carry them around himself. He would get random back aches or they would get awkwardly tender and not to mention sensitive. Whatever had transformed his body was more real than any Orioke no Jutsu he had ever performed.

Leaving his musings, he only heard the end of what sounded like a questions. "Huh?" He replied smartly.

"I said if you would like me to show you your lodgings or if you would like to accompany me to a small event first?" Madara said with slight annoyance, but with a touch of hopefulness.

"You know, I would be glad to, but a nap sounds just too good right now." Answered Naruto, unaware of Madara's tone, or the way his face slightly dropped in disappointment.

"Very well, this way." He said blandly.

After passing by the first few homes, Naruto started to become more and more sleepy. The sound of a warm and comfy bed was seriously the best news he had heard all week. After what seemed an eternity, they reached a grouping of homes that were slightly separated from the rest, they were if only a bit bigger and with more garnishments than was necessary. Heading towards the first one in the group, they walked up the few steps to the doorway. Seeing as this house was more traditional, Madara slid open the shoji door and guided Naruto in. Naruto couldn't help but whistle. It was a huge place with what he guessed had to have at at last four rooms. It was decorated with a deep red with accents of gold. Looking at Madara for permission, to which he nodded, Naruto inspected the house. There were three rooms to be exact, all similarly laid out with a large and fluffy futons, a fancy dresser, a vanity, and what he assumed was the door to the closet. There was the main living room to which they had walked into that had couches and tables and all that was to be expected. There was also a smaller dining room, but with no kitchen in sight. "I guess I'll just go out and eat everyday." He said softly. Overhearing him, Madara answered a split second later. "Meals will be prepared for you every morning, afternoon, and evening. There is no necessity for you to cook, but if you prefer to dine out then it is up to you."

Laughing, Naruto clapped elatedly, "Good, I am a horrible cook."

* * *

><p>Choking internally, Madara "hn'ed." <em>Why does that not surprise me?<em>

With an expression of glee on her face, Naruto once again roamed the rooms, muttering something about picking the right one. Madara stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do. What he had not mentioned to Naruto was that usually a servant or a lower ranking official did these type of things, not the possible heir to the clan. He had only been in this area twice, mainly because he had to pay a visit to a few diplomats which they had received. Other than that, he had never really wandered to this part of the compound, Sector Four was where the high council and inner family resided. It was also the sector in which they interrogated enemies and enacted the more grimy parts of their duty. He was not going to show Naruto that for obvious reasons. Although he knew Naruto had a idea as to what shinobi did, especially due to her training, he felt odd to expose her to that darker side of him. A side of him which he had never thought twice of or even concerned him, but now made him feel skiddish as to how she would react to it. _I__f only she was a kunoichi, this would be much easier._

Though what he meant by 'this' he wasn't too sure, as with many things regarding Naruto, he pushed it off and decided not to think too heavily on it. Just as he was done with the subject of her reaction, he could not help but think of their earlier entanglement. When she had genuinely instilled an unease in him he only reserved for highly skilled shinobi. She had shown _such_ skill, such finesse, that he had pegged her as one to begin with. Surely someone who had been trained in such a way _had _ to know the reality of ninja life. Right?

Sighing deeply he leaned against the living room wall, but noticing that it had been quite some time since he had heard her utter anything he decided to go investigate. _Not normal for Naruto-san. _Calling out her name, he was met with silence. Grunting with exasperation he went to find her. Heading down the hallway he entered the first room, only for it to be empty. He continued this for the next room with the same results. Finally reaching the last and smallest room, he slid open the shoji door, yet he still didn't see Naruto. Confused, he was about to close the door when he heard soft breathing. Walking past a privacy changing screen, he looked towards the bed to find Naruto passed on on top of the covers, arms and legs splayed without a care. "Of course." He whispered to the room. Walking over he was about to wake her when he stopped himself. _Wherever she had spent these last few nights, they must have taken a toll on her body. _Quenching the rare wave of guilt that was about to engulf him, hi looked down and took her in. It was was strange to see her so docile. The effects of sleep played such an illusion on her, to think that this soft, feminine face was full of such a quick wit and sharp tongue. _How can one woman be so striking? __And Heavan's, those eyes._ He thought, he had never seen anything quite like them, and like he had mentioned before, eyes were a big thing for Uchihas. That was the only thing that was sleep did not compliment her in, the eyes that she used with such expressions completed her character. Noticing the faint, faint scars once again, he reached out in curiosity. _What could have caused these? _Freezing, he forced his hand to drop and decided it was time to leave.

Sliding the door close he exited the home, and came face to face with deep, soulless eyes.

"Father."

Staying silent, Tajima replied.

"Son."

Silence.

"She is a diplomat's daughter and the newly appointed assistant to Naoki-san." Tajima stated more than asked.

Madara nodded.

"Ah. Well. When she has settled in. I do expect to see her for dinner."

Before Madara could object, his father was gone in a blur of movement.

Groaning, Madara looked up into the clouds. This, he was not expecting.

* * *

><p>Aaaand there you go! Hope you liked it! I didn't know if Madara's dad had a name so I googled it, lol, that's about all I know from the current story line. .<p>

So R&R and hope you guys have aaaamazing weekend!

Con amor,

~miscmist


	9. Chapter 8

Hope you all had a great time with your respective holidays and New Years! :D

Sorry again for being so late, I was a bum over winter break. .

Remember, when it's Naruto's point of view, he will obviously think of himself as a man, but when it is the point of view of others, they will think and describe Naruto as a woman. That is all!

Well, here's the update, hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Don't tell me. Don't tell me! He's..he's..the man in charge of shipping the metal!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.<p>

"Yes, Naruto-san, that is c-correct." Naoki replied softly, a small smile lingering on his face.

"Four days and I already know all the officials that I will have to deal with!. Not to mention that ridiculously complex system of hierarchy you have amongst your businesses memorized. Stated Naruto happily, not at all ashamed to toot his own horn. He had been 'training' with Naoki intensively this past week in order to get better acquainted with their partnership. He had not expected Naoki-san to be such a great teacher. It also didn't hurt that when Naruto retired for the day, he would bust out a few clones to go over the materials. _Hey, I'm just using my resources!_ He justified mentally. It was an added plus too, since it gave him an excuse to release some of that stale chakra in his system; Kyuubi had been quite satisfied. Naruto just had to be careful as to not let _too_ much out. His signature was a bit hard to ignore, so he had to keep himself in check, especially around such keen Uchiha. _Damn, it feels good though._

"Y-y-yes, quite impressive, Naruto-san. The quickness in which you learnt this information is v-very impressive."

Rubbing the back of his slim neck, Naruto grinned widely, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. He was usually really bad with information regarding specific business matters, it was a subject he could never fully wrap his head around, but he was surprisingly on top of his game. It was totally different regarding the memorization of a new skill, if you gave him a new chakra technique or handed him a new hand sign scroll, he'd be on it quick and wouldn't sleep until he figured it out. He had a certain list of priorities, and the memorization of business matters were not usually on the top of that list, but he wanted to succeed in this new assignment either way.

"Thanks! It's due to the nature of your teachings. If only I had such patient teachers while I was in primary school." Naruto joked lightly, taking note of Naoki's humbled nod. Putting a hand to his stomach, he felt the deep hollowness of hunger. Dusting off his bum, he got up from the wooden bench in which he had been studying on and stretched contently, ignoring the slight flush that appeared on Naoki's face. It had been an extremely productive day. Breathing deeply he took in the particular set of smells that accompanied this place. They were in one of Naoki's shops, close to his home. It was a large building filled with working men and loud machinery, but they had found a mostly empty work room in which they could discuss their plans. Noting that it had been more than six hours since he had last snagged some food, Naruto reasoned it was an adequate time to eat.

"Well, I think those mysterious meals are awaiting for me back at the compound." Naruto said with mock suspicion, but actually excited to go to his 'home' and dig into whatever was laid out on the table. Madara wasn't kidding about food being prepared for him at least three times a day. He also noticed that at times there would pastries, or bowls of sliced fruits mysteriously on the table in between meals. It was quite interesting that they appeared about the time Naruto become hungry for a snack. How they knew was a mystery to him, but he didn't feel like delving too much into the matter. It wouldn't surprise him to know that low ranking ninja were assigned to regularly check up on him; it was common protocol after all.

Bowing slightly to Naoki, he headed out the door and through the main exit, waving at a few workmen who returned his gesture with polite nods or surprised smiles. Naruto was slowly striking up conversations with a few of them, it was interesting to find out what their backgrounds were. It didn't hurt that he was this exotic woman with a pretty set of eyes, and a hard-to-ignore hourglass figure. He had already received a confession from a young man in his teens just yesterday. The kid was cute, but way too young for him. _No jailbait for me, thankyou verymuch_. Not to mention he didn't think it was smart to have a romantic relationship at this time. Who knew how long he would end up staying. _I'm close though, I can feel it._ He mentally chanted.

He could feel Madara slowly loosening up; at least as to how he had originally met him. Naruto saw him now and again when they had to meet, but that was mainly work-related. It was hard at times due to Naruto mostly being in Naoki's shops or in one of the many meetings he attended, but Naoki had promised that after the preliminary round of work, there would be less tasks in which Naruto had to be involved with; since most of it was handled by Naoki and Madara themselves. All that Naruto mostly did was just as he had been titled: he assisted. It was relatively easy and it didn't hurt that he got paid for it, which Naruto was extremely happy for. He felt bad paying people with imaginary money or having to pick pocket the random passerby's on the street.

Stepping out onto the street he bee-lined for the sleeping quarters in which he lived, stomach protesting its emptiness. "Yeah, yeah, give me a few seconds." He muttered to himself. Looking around to make sure no one was paying him any attention, he hopped on the closet building and began roof hoping, arms swaying behind him in the typical running pose. He didn't worry about being caught since he had gotten this down to a science, requiring no chakra of any kind, but still having the speed and ability to blur in and out of vision. _I'm good, what can I say?_ Naruto thought cockily, then smiled as he saw the shimmering rooftops of the dignitary district. Reaching his destination in less than a minute he slowed down and headed for the one assigned specifically to him.

Landing on his own roof, he slid down to the ground and straightened his shoulders, adjusting his pale green kimono. Walking up the steps he slid the door open and was met with a plethora of delicious smells that had his mouth watering. Slipping off his shoes he sat at the table and devoured what tasted like some type of spiced pork, then continued to eat the grilled fish, and the several servings of rich soup which accompanied it. It was funny to note that when these foods first began appearing, only one or two plates of a measly meal would be arranged on the table. To any other person this would have been plenty of food, but that was not the case for Naruto. He had complained loudly, but not done much to change it. After a few days of this, he couldn't help it anymore and had written a sincere and kind note and had attached it to his front door, addressing it to whoever it may have concerned. Going to sleep hungry that night as always, he had awoken to a variety of breakfast choices, to which he had gladly eaten them all.

Finishing up his meal, he cleanly arranged the dishes on a neat pile near the end of the table. He had tried washing the plates one day, and stacked them on the fancy little china cabinet they had, only for them to have gone the next day. So Naruto had stopped trying and simply tried to make it easier for whoever picked up after him; it made him feel like he was at a 24-hour restaurant, or an upscale hotel.

It felt nice not to have to worry about chores like dishes though, but it felt weird at the same time. He was used to being so self-sufficient that having, what was essentially a maid, look after him was so foreign. Heading to his room he collapsed on the fluffy mass of pillows and blankets that was his bed. Adjusting his arms to cross and cup the back of his head he laid there languidly, letting his body relax for just a moment. It was good to be busy again. His back wasn't killing him anymore. _What a good bra can do._ He thought with amusement. When he had ventured into his closet one day, he had found several changes of clothes as well as feminine undergarments either neatly folded or hung in his closet. Once again, how they knew his size he did not fathom, but it was a load off Naruto's to-do list so he let it be. _Plus I can simply change into a kimono instead of having to transform into it._ Visual jutsu like that were always pains in the ass.

With a cat-like body stretch, Naruto got up from his bed and started getting ready for a venture towards one of their private training grounds; he had promised Madara to a quick spar. It had been almost two days since their last one, though the direction of the spars had been changing slightly over time. What started off as a simple excuse to punch something, for both of them, turned into something more…educational? Madara would slow down randomly during an execution of moves and give tips to Naruto; which he annoyingly accepted. _Of course_ Naruto wasn't going to go all-out, he didn't want a dead Uchiha on his hands; well, at least not as much as he thought. _Soooo,_ Naruto had to grin and bear it, and try not to flinch every time the young Uchiha tried to be helpful.

It irked him to admit it, but the kid had a pretty good fighting form, and a few, _very few_, were actually pretty helpful. Leave it to the Uchiha to achieve mastery at such a young age. _Not perfect, but very close._ Which scared Naruto, when he was nineteen his form was far from being this good, if he had to say it, Madara was close to reaching perfection. "Well, at least pertaining to the Uchiha taijutsu technique." Every clan had its own unique fighting style, so to say a person reached mastery was difficult to say unless you were actually in the clan.

Going into his closet, he grabbed a pair of what he considered as sparring clothes, and to what was actually chore-work clothing, but his keepers didn't need to know that, which wasn't important since they probably did anyway. After a short fight with his hair, he successfully put it into a high ponytail and headed out, it was fun to keep Uchiha men waiting, but it wasn't worth their bitchin. With that last thought, he headed out the back door and jogged to an awaiting Madara, wondering what he had in store for her today.

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later…<em>

* * *

><p>"The hell was that all about?!" Naruto exclaimed, almost ripping the shoji door off it's frame. Collapsing on the living room sofa, Naruto let out another irritated groan, digging his hands into his hair. Madara had been super pissy today, and not to mention so god-damn annoying. Kicking his shows off messily, he ruffled his bangs out of his face, and huffed indignantly. But what Naruto meant as pissy and annoying was more along the lines of Madara being ridiculously <em>nice<em> and not even attacking him properly. There were _so_ many openings in which Madara could have easily taken him down, but noooo, Madara had to 'accidently' keep missing, or happened to swing too slowly. It was all so ridiculous and a complete waste of his time. _Sparring is important, it shouldn't be a joke!_ Naruto thought angrily, he hated to throw a good match.

Starring at the ornate things around him, he couldn't help be reminded of their bout earlier. _Heavens, not to mention that weird favor he asked me._ Naruto thought mentally, _A dinner? _With his family no less. It wouldn't be se irritating if it hadn't been for his awkward behavior during their whole routine, but there was little that angered Naruto more than beating around the bush. I mean, how hard was it to ask a question? Seriously.

Forcing himself to relax on the sofa, he closed his eyes and forced himself to take a nap, he could think about this situation later. _So I can waste even more time._ He thought with contempt.

* * *

><p><em>Earlier that day…<em>

* * *

><p>Madara dodged another one of Naruto's quick melee hits, jumping over her frame and faking a kick to her shins, which she quickly dodged and did a quick one-two combo to his side.<p>

"Oomph." Madara groaned, trying to hide a pained grimace. He blurred out of her vision and stood a little farther back, analyzing her stance. He noticed she was favoring her right leg, a deep bruise starting to blossom below her left knee.

"When you strike, try to vary your movements, otherwise an opponent will repeatedly hit you in the same area." He said, indicating the nearly black bruise.

Naruto nodded stiffly, then ran at him and they continued to exchange blows. Madara noticed she was become more and more sloppy, a scowl on her delicate features. After a failed attempt at disabling him, she rolled away from him, then stood up and slowly started dusting herself off; soft comments flying quickly from her lips, comments that he couldn't quite pick up. Preparing for his next bit of advice, he went still as she gave the sign that indicated the end of a session; hand clenched in a fist, positioned over a downward open-faced palm.

Releasing his fighting form, he relaxed and walked over to her, only he was stopped by her palm. Cocking his eyebrow, he gave her a quizzical look.

"Okay, you're going to have to tell me what has been on your mind. Or what you have been thinking lately, or whatever has got you acting so strange, it is seriously getting on my nerves." She uttered through clenched teeth, eyes drilling into his own. For whatever reason, even though she seemed irritated by him, he couldn't help but fight the swell of emotions those intense eyes stirred in him. Coughing to clear to the mysterious lump that was now in his throat he regained his composure.

"Meaning?" He replied simply, genuinely wondering what had caused such a reaction.

Sighing exuberantly, she gestured at the field around her violently. "This!" Then pointed angrily at him, "And YOU!" She ruffled her bangs quickly, a tick he noticed she did when she was upset. "First, you change the location of our sparring area to something, I don't know, more pretty? Then, you start giving me all this advice, which I appreciate, but you've been going way overboard with it. Lastly, don't even think for a second that I don't know you've been holding back, it's infuriating! What, you think because you're an Uchiha I don't deserve to face you at your highest? Because frankly, it is insulting." She finished, crossing her arms and scowling deeply, eye filled with rage.

Taken aback by her outburst, he could only reply with an, "Oh."

Which caused Naruto to cock her head sharply at him, not accepting that as an adequate response.

Realizing how he must look, Madara forced himself to walk slowly towards her, taking deliberate steps as to not anger her. He felt as if he was nearing a wild animal, preventing any quick movements as to cause her to bolt away, or in her case, bolt _at_ him.

Taking a deep breath he tried to make eye contact with her, but couldn't take the steady gaze of those brilliant blue gems, so he chose to simply look at the wild ponytail that was slowly starting to unravel atop her head.

"You are right. I have…changed my behavior these past few days…It concerns my father, and a a very soft-spoken demand, actually." He said, unsure as to how to word the mental war that had been going on in his head this week.

Sensing his internal battle, he observed how she relaxed slightly, still mad, but less so. Hoping that he could finish his thoughts without hesitation, he let his gaze wonder down to her bangs.

"It is a simple request that I ask of you, which there really is only one appropriate answer to." He said blandly, faking his cool demeanor. Continuing to drop his gaze, now at her slightly arched eyebrows.

"I would l-like. Well, that is, my father, or rather, well…actually." With a quick mental pep talk, he dropped his gaze further down until he met her eyes. "Would you perhaps have time to dine with my family tonight?" Madara all but spat out, gauging her reaction, clenching his toes in anticipation. After a pregnant pause, all that Naruto uttered was an, "Oh."

She dropped her crossed arms and looked at him with a confused face, teeth biting into her lower lip in bewilderment.

"Yes..." Was all he could reply with.

"Ahhh. So, that was the cause of your actions?" She said slowly, waiting for him to confirm.

Madara simply nodded.

"Then..why didn't you just _say_ so?"

Madara stood quietly, not really sure how to answer that question.

With a hopeless sigh, Naruto scratched her forehead lightly, "The swings in your personality really throw me off-balance sometimes. It's quite infuriating." She commented.

_The feelings mutual_. Madara thought sardonically.

After a nod to herself, Naruto 'hmphed' and walked away from the field. After she was almost too far away from hear shot, she looked back and yelled over her shoulder, "I'll let you know." She shouted and slowly walked away from him, ponytail now completely loose and following her movements.

Madara stood there, not sure if he was more anxious than before, or relieved he had this problem off his chest. This really didn't do much, since she hadn't responded at all. Just a vague answer, which did little to help his situation. _I need to know soon._ He thought with urgency. His father had been subtly asking about their dinner arrangements these past few days, to which Madara would repeatedly reply that Naruto was still too caught up in learning the ropes of her new role. Of course that was only partially true, but for some reason he did not want Naruto to meet his family, let alone his father.

Which was strange for him to think, for Tajima was not a cruel man, he was a tough clan leader, but never cruel or tyrannical. He had an uncanny faith in Madara that made him swell with pride, but also instilled a certain uncomfortable-ness within him. People that are regarded highly rarely ever lived up to their expectations, but Madara wanted to avoid that. He would one day become heir, and to be respected by all was always a pleasure he enjoyed, but he did not admit, always caused him a bit of anxiety.

Sighing with exhaustion, he went and picked up the armor he had been wearing before the match. He had patrolled the compound earlier in search of the strange wild beasts that sometimes roamed these lands, but had found nothing, it was a delicacy his father enjoyed very much, he thought that if perhaps he caught one he could prepare it for his father and put him in good spirits. Unfortunately, as with his luck this week, he had failed in retrieving any type of animal, excluding the small rabbits.

Sealing it within the storage scroll he carried with him at all times, he headed back to his own lodgings, hoping that a long soak could release some of the knots that had been paining him this past week.

* * *

><p>Waking up from his nap, Naruto groggily made his way to the bathroom and rinsed off his face. A tired woman stared back at him. He noticed that his hair was in complete disarray, tufts of it sticking at odd places. Trying his best to smooth it down, he rinsed his mouth and spat it into the basin. "Why don't I look this good when I'm a man, damnit?" He cursed angrily at the reflection staring back at him. Even though he was in no presentable condition, this female form was still highly attractive, even with drool staining the corner of her mouth and bangs sticking to her forehead.<p>

With a final once-over, he deemed himself presentable and headed to his room. Picking a pale yellow kimono, he dressed quickly and headed out the door to find Madara. The small nap he took had helped him calm down and clear his mind. He realized it wouldn't be such a _bad_ idea to meet the parents of the man who would affect Konoha so much in the future. They might even give him strategic clues on how to complete his self-assigned mission.

Nodding optimistically he headed out the main door and began walking to the center of the Uchiha compound. For once he could actually sense Madara's chakra. It was pulsing slightly, fading in and out of his senses, but surprisingly clear. Fearing that this stroke of luck would run out soon, be picked up his pace and followed Madara's chakra signature more urgently.

Speed-walking past faces, he rarely saw any he recognized, most were what seemed like patrol squads while others were walking, if not running; most likely late to a debriefing or team assignment. _That was me only a few weeks ago_. He thought with a bit of jealousy_. _Sighing wistfully, Naruto started jogging slightly to the energy location he had locked onto. It was beginning to dim and recede within itself, whatever activity or technique Madara had been doing was now most likely completed.

With a quick turn of his heel, he found himself facing a small, compact building. A dark blue, lettered sign, simply decorated its front.

'PROCESSING,' was all it said. It was small and almost hard to see, but it was there. With a careless shrug, he walked through the doors, huffing slightly with exertion.

"Maaan, a little on the heavy side." He whispered to them surprisingly. With an audible 'thump!' they shut behind him, sealing the light that had pooled in when he had entered. Blinking rapidly, he realized how dim it was in the building. No windows adorned the walls to let in the sunshine, or any overhanging lamps to beat back the darkness. Only a few torches lined the walls, flickering with the sudden gust of wind that the shutting of the front doors caused. The dancing fire caused wicked-looking shadows to flit back and forth between the dark hallways. One led to his left, one directly in front of him, and one to his right. It was an oddly chilling atmosphere, he got the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be here.

_Well, technically I'm not supposed to even exist here._ He thought with slight amusement. Snorting arrogantly, he headed forward. _No use in turning back now._

Walking down the hallways slowly he followed the weakening signal that was Madara's chakra signature. It was growing fainter by the minute, worriedly, Naruto began to take longer strides, for some reason feeling as if he did not get to that energy point in time, he would be out of luck in finding the young Uchiha any time soon.

Stopping abruptly, he swiveled smoothly to his right, facing the only door he had seen in the expanse of the hallway. Not exactly knowing the protocol for this specific building, he raised his hand and simply knocked thrice. Gnawing on his bottom lip with anxiousness, he waited.

Silence.

Raising his hand again, he got one knock in before the door was swung open, a stoic face now peering at him, no indication of emotion on his face. He seemed oddly familiarly, his bone structure ringing out to Naruto as if he had met him already.

"Uhm…hi, I, uh…"

"Naruto-san. Of _course." _The previously intimidating face, completely changing into a more friendly one.

"Please, come in." The young man said softly but warmly, but Naruto couldn't help but note a slightly mocking tone to it. Stepping aside for him, Naruto walked through and stood awkwardly to the side, waiting for him to lead the way. Coughing lightly, his sniffed and picked up a familiar scent, but one that he couldn't quite place. Figuring he could think about it later, he realized he should probably state the reason as to why he was here.

"I'm looking for Madara-san…." He said uncertainly, not sure if it was an appropriate time to bring it up. Though, the young man had to know a reason for his appearance. Now that he thought about it, it was strange that he didn't even question a strange woman showing up in this type of building, which Naruto had a few guesses for the purposes.

"Why, yes. He's cleaning up right now, you have quite fortunate timing." The young man said with a stoic face. "Do you see that side door there?" He pointed at a smaller door several steps to his right. Naruto nodded. "Just head on through there, Madara will be pleasantly surprised to see you." The man's soft voice deceived the array of thoughts that Naruto could see swimming behind his eyes. Pivoting to his right, he began taking the few steps to get to the door, all the while quickly inspecting the room. It was dark just as it was in the hallways, with bare concrete walls and flooring, no furniture decorated the room. The room was just so _blank_. The many questions that flew through his mind were quickly solved just as he was crossing the middle of the room. He would not have noticed had it not been for him practically stepping on it. Now noticing the subtle incline of the floors, Naruto's gaze quickly jumped down to the dark floors.

_A drain_.

Not missing a beat, he stepped over it and continued on his way; hoping that he didn't give any indication of his spotting it. Naruto couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

_Of course_ Madara had to do these types of things. Being with him in casual situations had distracted him for what they really were: trained assassins. It was stupid of Naruto to forget that. Hell, he _was_ one, though he had better morals than others, essentially they were all the same. Swallowing this dose of reality he continued on through, shedding the idealized view of this building.

_Processing. That's a nice way of putting it. _He thought somberly, recalling the few but gruesome times he had to interrogate captured enemies. Naruto knew the duty of a ninja, but he did not always agree to the methods in which you at times had to acquire certain types of information. He was good at it of course, he wouldn't be at such a high level if he wasn't, but it didn't mean he enjoyed it. Shaking his head of the dark path his thoughts were leading him, he took the last step to the door.

With a quick twist of the knob, he walked through, to a room that was better lit than the previous, but was much smaller. Looking around, he spotted several cabinets and what he guessed tools filling them, lining the walls, as well as a metal rolling table pushed to the side. Other things such as strapped chairs, ropes and knives laid against a long shelf on the wall directly to his right. Forcing his gaze from the recently cleaned paraphernalia, he spotted a hunched over man, hands scrubbing, deep in a sink. Leaving the doorway, he made his way next to Madara.

"Damnit, Izuna, you could have at least gagged the man first." Madara said sternly, scrubbing at his hands more roughly.

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Naruto cleared his throat. He needed to cheer himself up; making Madara uncomfortable was always a great solution.

With a sharp raise of his head, Madara looked at Naruto with wide eyes. "N-Naruto-san…"

"Hi." Naruto said simply.

"How did you get here? W-what are you..?" Madara babbled, eyes straining to look at Naruto and not the sink behind him which Naruto imagines was full of draining blood. Or to the drying, steel weapons that were laid out next to it.

"So, about that dinner?" Naruto asked coyly; trying to have fun at Madara's expense, not really concentrating on the fact that a man had just probably been mutilated with those recently washed hands.

"Y-yes?" Madara stuttered out, slowly sliding along the sink, trying to hide the scene which Naruto already knew well in his head. _Different village, same procedures._

"I'd love to come. I just need to know some logistics. Such as, time, place, attire, things like that." He replied, with an almost a bored expression, playing with the sleeve of his kimono.

Madara only looked at her, face screwed into to such a painful expression of uncertainty that quite frankly, made him seem unattractive. _Where's the sexy and cool Uchiha-ttude? _Naruto thought with amusement.

After a few more awkward seconds of Madara trying to piece together sentences, a voice from the doorway made Naruto to turn away from the Uchiha before him.

"Tonight at seven, our home which we can guide you to, semi-formal, nothing too fancy, but of course enough to impress, and the rest you can decide for yourself," Said the young man from earlier, leaning against the door frame, face at ease, exuding confidence and nonchalance.

Smiling softly, Naruto nodded at him with appreciation. "Thank you, I don't know when I would have gotten that information from this man here." He said, indicating at Madara with his thumb.

Laughing smoothly, the man walked over to Naruto and bowed slightly, "I am Uchiha Izuna, Madara's brother. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. The circumstances of our introduction that I had initially imagined were a bit less…dark, but it is a pleasure nonetheless."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. No wonder he seemed familiar. He looked like eerily like Madara, but with a slightly softer bone structure._ He must be a bit younger._

Soaking up Izuna's character, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, this guy knew how to smooth talk. Not exactly in a suave, I-wanna-get-in-you-pants way, but more of a I've-had-to-solve-problems way.

"Well then, I guess I'll leave you two to your machinations, I will see you in a few hours." With that, Naruto smiled widely at them both, and headed out, fighting not to look back. Reaching the door, he opened it and began on his way home, trying to hold in the snigger that he so desperately wanted to release.

* * *

><p>For the second time that day, Madara was once again staring dumbfounded at the back of Naruto's head. Finally gathering his wits, he looked sharply at his younger brother, upset at the fact that he had seen him in such a moment of weakness, especially because it concerned the woman he was trying to…well…he wasn't exactly sure what.<p>

"Amazing. To think a woman such as her has come to reach your presence. I do not know which of the two is more lucky." Izuna said with his ever-soft voice, but with evident humor. Feigning being in deep thought, Izuna snapped his fingers. "Ah, I do believe…it is _you_, brother. I have not seen such striking beauty before. I do say I am jealous." Izuna said, half in jest.

Snapping back to his usual self, Madara growled. "How did she get in here?" He whispered harshly, words dripping with anger.

Izuna only took a subtle step back, not intimidated by his brother, but still taking precautionary measures. "She knocked. I opened the door. Then she walked through another door. Very simple actually." Izuna said, calmly as if someone merely asked him the weather.

Rushing up to him in a blink of an eye, Madara grabbed Izuna's collar and hoisted him slightly, not enough to choke him, but just enough to make it feel uncomfortable. After a few seconds of this, Madara surveyed his younger brother. Satisfied by the cautious look in Izuna's eyes, Madara snorted at him.

"You know very well what I mean. She is a _civilian_. They are not allowed here. Even in her special case, she was not to have witnessed this. What is she to think now?" He whispered venomously. With a slight flick of his wrist he released his brother, causing the younger male to stumble slightly.

Realizing the depth of his mistake, Izuna bowed, head to the ground. "I am sorry Madara. I did not know the…bond you had with Naruto-san." He said with genuinely, though he fought with his brother regularly, he did not like it when he upset him. There are lines even siblings could not cross.

A tense silence stretched out between the two, which was then broken as Madara threw his last unwashed tool into the sink, scrubbing rigorously to get the matter out of it.

Still in an apologetic position, Izuna dared to lift his eyes, peering at his brother. It confused him to see his brother so distraught and angered, especially at him. He was simply having some fun with his brother, Izuna did not think that he would take it so seriously. _What hold does this Naruto-san have on him?_

At first Izuna had been amused that Madara would at times come home frustrated, angered, or simply confused. Izuna did not know what the source of his brothers mood swings were, but he was quite entertained by them. When he had learnt that it was from the newcomer in town, he had been even more amused,

Yet, he did not picture this to be his brother. So out of control. So unsure; doubting his moves. So, _lost._ Instead of causing displeasing thoughts towards this Naruto woman, it actually encouraged Izuna. She wasn't a courtesan, or a distant Uchiha cousin trying to improve her social standing. She was just a woman that Madara had coincidentally met. It was quite intriguing.

Ripped from his reverie, Izuna straightened out, as Madara threw him a pair of sharp kunai.

"Hang those behind you." Madara said blandly, his voice losing its sharp edge.

Catching them expertly between the loops, Izuna turned around and did as his brother demanded. Hanging them on the hooks, he made sure they were exactly as they had been before they used this room. Sighing softly, he turned back to his brother. "Please accept my apologies, my actions were only in jest. I will do what I can to fix it." Izuna uttered, eyes pleading for his brother to forgive him.

Crossing his arm, Madara looked at his brother. He didn't want to admit but it felt good for his brother to grovel, or as close as an Uchiha could get. Big brothers will always want to bully their younger siblings. His gloating was short lived though. Noting the genuine, dejected, look on his brothers face he reached over knocked him on the head.

"Thank you for the week's worth of patrol duty you just volunteered for Izuna. I could not ask for a kinder brother."

Madara grinned, daring his brother to rebel. Sighing with exasperation, Izuna nodded and couldn't help but chuckle, "It is nothing."

"Well then, I believe it's time to alert father and mother of our dinner guest. They will be annoyingly satisfied." Madara muttered; knowing full well that his parents would make an ordeal of such a simple matter.

"With most enthusiasm." Replied Izuna, he knew his parents quite well, they would gauge and judge and pull apart the dinner, just for this newcomer. It was rare for a guest to dine with the high family, but when Tajima invited someone, it was because his interest had been piqued. Not to mention his mother might have also been a big part of it as well. Though Madara might not have noticed it, there was much gossip about the blonde-haired, sapphire-eyed beauty that was seen wandering the streets. What there was less talk of, but implied much more, was the effect that this woman had on a certain Uchiha; an effect that no one had ever witnessed before. _If only Madara could see how this woman was charming him. _Izuna thought.

What was funnier, was that neither of them knew it fully. By what he had witnessed and heard, it seemed this Naruto-san liked to banter with Madara, but not on any deep level, only for entertainment. While Madara like to return her banter, but not being used to such remarks, especially from a woman, Madara would usually be the less victorious partner. This was a experiment to Madara, an experiment in which Izuna realized his brother was becoming rather smitten with.

Laughing under his breath, he followed his brother as he exited the processing room, nodding here and there as his brother recounted some story between Naruto-san, Naoki-san and him. Closing the door behind him, Izuna smiled behind his brothers back and nodded to himself. _Quite smitten._

* * *

><p>Three hours later…<p>

* * *

><p>Naruto checked himself out in the long floor length mirror in front of him. He was in the larger room of the house that he rarely ventured into. It was the only one with such a huge mirror so he kept going back and forth between the rooms making sure he looked fit to be seen.<p>

After coming back from his little conversation between the Uchiha brothers, he had taken a long hot bath, had bummed around, and now finally was beginning to get ready, if he had to guess, he had about twenty minutes before Madara showed up, so he was scrambling, trying to find a decent kimono.

The problem with that was the closet was filled with so many elaborate kimonos he didn't want to look like a fool wearing one to something as simple as a dinner. He would have worn the other nice and plain ones but they were dirty, laying in a pile beside his bed. For some reason whoever was cleaning up after him hadn't got to the laundry part yet.

Huffing with annoyance, he stepped into his closet once again, hoping to find something that met his standards.

"Too gold."

"Ugh, so many blossoms."

"Really, now that's just obnoxious." Naruto said. He was going through his outfits again and the ones that were left were all so extravagant, borderline ridiculous.

Going backwards in sequence, he slowed down, gauging the kimonos once again. Eyes widening in joy, he cheered to himself. "Perfect!" Naruto exclaimed.

In his frantic search he must have looked past this elegant, but straightforward beauty, It was a deep amethyst kimono, with a softer lavender trail of cranes edging up the skirt and softly into the sleeves. It was graceful, a great combination between dressy and understated. Putting it on he added the finishing touches of the vanilla-colored obi belt that came with it, he shuffled back to the vanity in his room. Sitting on the cushioned bench, he updid his hair, casting a subtle genjutsu on it for it to not look so unkept, and nodded in approval. Hair wasn't his forte so it was hard for him to style it well. What he was decent as was surprisingly make-up. He had found a few ivory cased palettes in the vanity and had applied a neutral eye look, with a touch of color on his lips, a soft crush-rose color. Giving himself a final once-over he couldn't help but preen with pride.

"I look fuckin' beautiful." He said eloquently. Just as he snorted in the juxtaposition of it all, he heard a knock from the front of the house. With a quick movement, he was up and by the front of the door in a few split seconds, opening it to receive his dinner companion. _My date._ He thought cheekily. His 'date' though was nowhere to be seen, a dark sky and empty space was all that was before him,

"What..?" He whispered to himself, stepping out a few steps in case he was hiding beside the door frame. Confused when he saw no one, Naruto re-entered his home, only to 'eep!' out in surprise as his nose crushed against Madara himself. Embarrassed by the extremely feminine noise and by being caught off guard, Naruto blushed. Trying to dispel his anxiousness, he punched Madara's shoulder lightly.

"Good evening, Naruto, I hope you are ready." Madara said, voice amused, and body standing rigid with that arrogant confidence that only an Uchiha could possess.

"Was that really necessary?" Naruto replied, rubbing his nose, glaring at the Uchiha heir, trying to keep an amused grin from his face. Hoping his clothes selection was appropriate, he motioned at Madara. "By the way, how do I look?" He said, trying to hide the pride he had on his outfit, but smiling nonetheless, arms out, body turning.

As if finally seeing her for the first time, Madara stood quiet, trying to keep his face from showing too much emotion. Giving her a long updown, he gulped thickly.

"You look…quite presentable." He said slowly. Eyes quickly averting so he wouldn't meet his own, suddenly preoccupied with some dirt speckle under his nails.

A vein in Naruto's head slowly pulsed. That was not the remark he was expecting.

"Presentable? Well, thank you Madara-san, I forgot how much of a wordsmith you were." He uttered, trying to hide the fact he was slightly put off by his comment. _Hey, a compliment doesn't hurt._ Naruto thought gruffly, though he didn't take _forever_ on his appearance he still tried. _Must be these female hormones, make me all sensitive and crap._ Naruto reflected, trying to justify his sway in character.

Closing the door and pushing past him, he walked down the steps and crossed his arms expectantly, "Fine then, where is this home of yours?"

Confused by her angry tone of voice, Madara stepped down as well. Giving him a long look, Naruto took in his appearance as well. He was wearing his Uchiha colors quite proudly: a long sleeved navy shirt with subtle red organic embellishments at the cuffs of his sleeves and navy pants, as well as the ever famous fan emblem stitched tightly onto his back. The outfit was simple, but the simplicity of the outfit did not hide the high quality of the clothes. After a few seconds of analyzing, Naruto came to the conclusion that he looked quite handsome. Though Madara didn't look much different than any other day, besides the fine clothing, the aura he gave off was one of self-awareness. _Bastard knows he looks good. _Naruto thought off-handedly. Breathing in deeply, Naruto caught a wisp of the smell emitting from Madara, a nice clean and crisp smell, it reminded him of a cold winter morning. Realizing he must have been ogling. Naruto smiled tightly and waited for Madara to make the first move.

Noting the awkward silence, Madara motioned before him. "Please, if you could follow me." He said almost tenderly, a earnest look in his eyes.

Sighing softly, Naruto took his arm and hooked it onto his, surprising the young heir greatly. _ I need to behave tonight._ Naruto chided, it was probably smarter to give Madara some slack. With that thought in mind, he looked expectantly at the young heir, hoping that this contact would show some peace treaty between the two.

After a few seconds and with no movement from Madara, Naruto tugged on their joined arms, hoping to snap him back from wherever his mind was on.

Clearing his throat, Madara began to walk. "Right. Well, I hope you are hungry." He said lamely, causing Naruto to roll his eyes, and off they went.

* * *

><p>With an almost audible scrunch, the two appeared before an elegant household<p>

_Wow. _Naruto internally whistled. He was not expecting this. After Madara had warned him of using a ninja technique to transport him, he had assumed he would simply have landed inside the house. But for whatever reason, Madara transported them to a few feet before what Naruto assumed was the main household.

Walking up to it, he had to tilt his head up at the splendor of what was more like a manor than anything else. It looked like one of those old school castles that he would see adorning dated magazines. It was designed in the similar way his temporary home was; deep reds with white and blue accents, subtly incorporating the Uchiha colors here and there. It surprisingly worked very well, the warmer colors being the basis of the whole structure, while the blue and white trimmings making up some of the window frames and basic embellishments. Sensing his awe, Madara threw him a cocky smile, pleased with his reaction.

"Our lineage is fond of the castle-styled homes of civilian shoguns. It is three stories high and has fifteen rooms. Our home has a fully equipped dojo, with our own personal hot springs, and two ballrooms. It is a gem of the Uchiha construction, built from the ground up with the labor of hundreds of Uchiha men."

Naruto's eyes widened even more in surprise."Impressive."

Continuing their short walk Naruto spotted two guards next to the large doors of the household, and a few on the wrap-around porch that extended around the property, Naruto's eyes picked out the other sentries posted on and around the property. _Seventeen in all._

Naruto whistled appreciatively, was once again taken back, though he thought it was a bit much. _Are they preparing for a war or something?_

Either way, it was a sign as to how many men they had at their disposal. Way more than Naruto remembered reading in any Konoha history book. His elementary studies weren't the most resourceful though, seeing as how he had always studied from worn down booked he would find behind old bookstores and the local library.

Climbing up the steps to the main entrance, the guards bowed deeply before them and opened the doors. Naruto didn't miss the way their muscles strained to do so. Walking through, Naruto was hit with the warmth emitting from inside the home, along with a pleasant and light scent that tickled his nose.

Trying not to look like an idiot, Naruto took in the extravagance of the home. Walls full of expensive looking paintings and adornments. As well as the glamorous furniture that was arranged artfully in what appeared to be the foyer of the house. Peering up, he was temporarily transfixed by the hypnotic colors the glass lamps projected onto the surrounding areas.

_So this is Uchiha living._

* * *

><p>Slowing his pace, Madara let Naruto take in the extravagance of his home. Again, his pride swelled at the collection his family had composed over the many years of any and all things rare and beautiful. <em>If only I could add one more to my collection.<em> Madara thought wistfully. Shocked by this ridiculous thought, he subtly urged her to speed up, hoping she did not feel his quickening pulse.

After a few turns of his home, he stood in front of the doors that led to one of their dining rooms. These doors were small and simply adorned, it was one of their more straightforward rooms, but elegant nonetheless, at its maximum it could fit twenty people, but his parents had most likely ordered it to by arranged in way to seat five people comfortably. Nodding to one of the home attendants, the young woman opened the door quietly, eyes averted to the ground, trying and failing not to look at the woman on Madara's arm.

Grinning, he looked over at Naruto-san, once again taken aback by her features. Her golden hair was up, but was arranged in a way that softly cascaded gradually to her neck, accentuating her slender neck and figure. Though she was not that much shorter than him, she seemed more petite and somehow _delicate_ with a kimono on, instead of the sweat-soaked working clothes she donned whenever they sparred. It was hard to put these two images of the same person next to each other, it disoriented him slightly. _How can one woman be so many things?_ He pondered. To think such a dangerous woman, who was not even a kunoichi and could spar evenly with him, adorn an elegant kimono and dazzle with her striking beauty was unbelievable. It took all of his willpower not to reach out towards and do something foolish.

Breathing in deeply, he collected himself and led the unusually quiet Naruto-san into the dining area.

"Madara, my son!" A light voice greeted from off to the side; a middle-aged woman dressed in a soft vanilla kimono emerged from a doorway, hands extended to hug her son. Releasing Naruto-san's arm politely, he embraced his mother, reaching down slightly and closing his arms gently around his mother. He noted the happy glimmer in her eyes, and they way they subtly said, 'Introduce me.'

Hiding an eye roll, he turned her towards Naruto-san, "Mother, this is Naruto-san, the woman I have been working with alongside Naoki. Naruto-san, this is my mother." He said smoothly, having rehearsed this several times before. He wanted to give the implication she was just a woman he worked alongside with, nothing to fuel the fires of his parent's imaginations. The meddling of his mother and father would not help the internal turmoil he had yet to really figure out.

Smiling widely, Naruto surprised his mother by hugging her as well, voice loud and clear, unlike the usually quiet and reserved voices of those that regularly visited the Uchiha house.

"It's a great pleasure to meet you." Naruto said with glee, smiling widely." I would never have guessed you would have two sons. My lord, I hope to age as beautifully as you." Naruto said pleasantly, arms now laying gently on his mothers forearms.

Taken by surprise once again by Naruto's forwardness, his mother laughed delightedly, already at Naruto-san's charms.

"Well, they do keep me on my toes, now my Izuna, you've met him correct? _He_ wasn't such a little monster as my Madara." His mother said jokingly, winking at her son.

"I respect your patience greatly, Mrs. Uchiha. At times Madara-san here is so _grumpy_; it takes all I have not to simply whack him." Naruto replied lightheartedly. "Though, I will admit I have _accidentally_ done it once or twice." She said mischievously, chuckling to herself and grinning at him.

"I would not hold it against you my dear, especially with the dealings you must have to go with in your new position, there must be some collateral damage to the unfortunate rooms you meet in." His mother replied with amusement. Pausing for a second, it appeared a light went off in his mothers head.

"Now that I think about it, he's done some damage to our home as well. You _must _follow me, I would like to show you some of the mess they've permanently caused within this household, some of them are almost too hard to comprehend. Children can be so creative." As if friends for the longest time, his mother and Naruto walked away and out of the room, talking animatedly about grumpy men and outrageous scenarios. The last thing he saw was a playful glance Naruto-san threw his way before disappearing from view.

With a long suffering sigh, Madara kneaded his forehead. "Mother you are giving her more ammunition." He said to the silence of the room, hoping his mother didn't get too carried away. She was probably happy she could speak to someone who was not after her social ranking or a fellow shinobi relaying orders. He couldn't blame his mother, Naruto-san had a way of disarming a person by her sheer presence. Scratching the back of his head, he observed the dining room. Five low tables were set up in a subtly pentagon formation, each small enough to sit a person, but large enough for the food to surround the individual. It was quiet an intimate setup, not to mention Naruto-san and him would mostly likely be at the points, while his mother and brother on the sides, and his father on the 'bottom' side facing them all. Stepping closer to the tables, his suspicions were proven right. His favorite eating utensils were set up right across from the table his father always sat at. _Lord, could they be less transparent?_ Madara thought fondly, they were acting as if he was _courting_ Naruto-san. Which was hard to say, because he didn't think a woman such as she was simply 'courted.'

"It was within my thought range that you had forgotten about my request." Said a deep voice from behind him. Turning around, he was met with his father's face, an almost indistinguishable smirk on his face. Tajima had once of the hardest faces to read in the Uchiha name, he was infamous for his stoniness during his one-on-one battles.

"Of course not, Naruto-san was simply caught up in her assistant training. She is quite devoted in learning it as promptly as possible." Madara said calmly, trying not to show the fact he had put off asking Naruto-san as long as he could.

"An admirable quality." His father said, again, not giving much away.

Motioning him to sit down, Madara complied and sat across from his father, bending his knees to fit comfortably under the low table. Starring at his father, he noted something that caused him to smile.

"I have not seen you wear that outfit in some time, father." Madara said with amusement. It was an old yukata with the Uchiha fan embroidered in the back. The yukata was a dark crimson, with navy-threaded stitching. It was an older style of dressings that most Uchiha men no longer wore.

Sensing his amusement, Tajima only chuckled. "Your mother was impressively persuasive, she seemed to think that my regular attire was not appropriate for the rare occasion in which our son brings a woman to dinner." He finished, a knowing gleam in his eye.

Chuckling to himself, Madara avoided showing the slightly annoyed twitch of his eyebrow. "If it had at all been voluntary I would be slightly more sympathetic," He said through a tight smile.

Eyes fill to the brim with delight, Tajima only wracked his knuckles on the table, motioning for a house attendant to bring him some drinks.

Nodded away politely, the attendant did so hurriedly. As if on cue, he heard the sounds of his mother and Naruto-san entering the room. Sitting up straight, he tried to look as calm as possible, bracing himself for the onslaught of questions and insinuations that his parents were sure to direct towards them.

As he thought, Naruto took the position next to him after his mother sat on her 'assigned area.' Before he could think of his brother, Izuna walked in through the same door they entered and sat gracefully across from his mother, a knowing grin on his face. After a few more seconds of clothes adjustments and polite hello's from Izuna, the table sat quietly. When Tajima surmised everyone was settled, he wracked his knuckles on the table once again.

"Well, let us eat."

* * *

><p>Tan-tan! Ahah, do you hate me?<p>

So that's the end of chapter eight! Sorry, I had to cut it short because this thing was a monster to write, it just kept going and going, and after 23 pages I was like, 'You know, it's time to stop,' because otherwise this would be one long ass chapter and I wasn't down for that, because then I'd have nothing for chapter nine! Sorry sorry, they're excuses and I know it :P

If the grammar and spelling are off I apologize, I just wanted to post this ASAP before classes resumed, otherwise this puppy would be sittin' on my hard drive decaying til' midterms. :P

Well, review it as you will and have a wonoooonderfull weekend! :D

I adore you all my little cabbages.

~miscmist


	10. A dinner, a walk, and a request

I'll keep this intro short.

Thank you, you guys are marrrrvelous.

Sorry times infinity.

New installment, hope you like.

Stay awesome.

R & R.

And remember, this is not canon, slightly AU. buh-ye~

-Action!-

Chapter 9

Madara clenched his fists underneath the table, hiding the agitation that was slowly building within him. How he wished to scream at the cause of such anxiety, if it were not for the respect he held for his parents, he would have caused a commotion just to stop the exchanging of words that he was witnessing before him. He moaned inwardly, could his father have at least waited til they were settled in? It had been only one minute, one short and beautiful minute before Tajima ruined the calm and pleasant atmosphere of the dinner and begun his questioning. He had not expected his father to begin interrogating Naruto-san so soon, because that was plainly what he was doing. It was no help either that his mother would join in as well, his parents were a dangerous duo whenever they dug for information that was withheld from them. The fact that Naruto-san was taking it all in stride made it slightly easier for Madara to handle, but just barely. Being the successor to a diplomat had her trained well. He acknowledged with respect, the conversation between the Uchiha fountainhead and his guest had started innocently enough, but the implied questions that were left unsaid rubbed Madara raw with discomfort. He had to use the deepest calm within him not to cut the dinner short and rush out with a weak excuse.

"So, Naruto-san, how is it that you and my son happened to meet?" His father regarded the blonde woman next to him carefully, face not giving much away, aside from the curious look in his eyes. Said question caused Naruto to stiffen slightly, causing her to set down the chopsticks that were hovering over her lips.

'Foolish!' He chastised himself, how had he not planned the answers for the night? Especially to this one? He should have seen by his fathers knowing gaze, and his mothers prodding demeanor, that stoic and reserved parents they were not going to play.

He gave a panicked look to his younger brother, hoping that he would somehow read the situation and intervene. Though Izuna was not fully informed of their chance encounter, his younger brother was aware of the less that favorable circumstances of how it all started. Catching his gaze, Izuna gave the barest of nods and softly cleared his throat, ready to distract his parents.

Though he was given no opportunity as Naruto answered quickly.

"Well, that is certainly an interesting question, with an even more interesting answer," Naurto said coyly, giving a sly glance towards Madara, which did little to comfort him.

'Will she be honest and tell the truth of the hostile environment in which they met? How they had briefly brawled?' He thought with growing concern.

His father would surely see their cautious association and partnership unfit and order them to cut off all ties, a thought which unsettled Madara more than was appropriate. It would be strange to suddenly be starved of the idiosyncrasies and characteristics of this exotic woman he had yet to fully understand, but perhaps, Madara thought with apprehension, she was not interested in even keeping their hazard friendship? Though it had been several weeks since that day, he still looked back in it in slight embarrassment, he only hoped Naruto-san was not one to keep grudges. The fact that at the time, they were only a few moments from killing each other, was not a reassuring fact. While his head was thinking of possible answers at a ridiculous speed, he was paused in his internal turmoil when Naruto answered clearly.

"Tajima-san, it was a bit of an accident, actually. As you may or may not know, I am the daughter of a diplomat. As a last vacation of sorts, I had taken it upon myself to explore the land. You see, for our village is small and does not contain much diversity, I had hoped to learn about various cultures and people through my travels. As I was trekking through an uncharted territory, I came upon your son; who after some choice words and actions helped me find your village. I should thank him actually, if it were not for him I would have ended up on less than favorable terrain." Naruto finished, a soft smile thrown at Madara to solidify her story, her eyes telling him the truth of their encounter, egging him on to agree with her.

Madara blinked rapidly, trying to sooth the heart that was now pounding within his chest. "Yes, I was a bit surprised, I will admit I was not too amused to find a stranger on my land, but we eventually sorted the confusion out." Madara spoke with honesty, knowing that the less he lied, the less it would trouble him later.

Realizing that they were sticking close to their actual confrontation, Naruto grinned at Madara's mother and theatrically whispered, loud enough for the whole table to hear, "Oh yes, I nearly forgot. I had to throw a few punches before I convinced him I was completely harmless."

Eyes widening in delight, his mother leaned in towards the blond-haired woman, "Please dear, you must be gentle of my Madara, he is a but a chained up puppy ready to conquer the world." His mother whispered back, equally as loud, clearly trying to hide the mirth from her voice.

After a few seconds of sustained laughter, both woman broke out in soft giggles, clearly laughing at his expense, covering their mouths in fake modesty. Bristling with embarrassment, Madara was ready to defend himself but decided against it, better to have his mother take to the humorous side of the encounter than to imply of the darker actions that they both partook in.

With a smile that did not quite reach Tajima's eyes, Madara's father picked up on the implication and stated more that asked."Then you exchanged blows with my son?" Though the question sounded serious, Madara noticed a slightly amused tone towards the end of the statement. Madara sighed, most did not know of Naruto-san's hidden combat talents, it must seem foolish to his father that a woman went up against one of his possible heirs.

Naruto stopped her giggling and nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, I may not look it, but this girl can hold her own. A kunoichi I am not, but a woman does not need to become a shinobi in order to learn some of their arts." She answered with all joking aside.

Tajima visibly stiffened, a wary glance directed towards Madara showed his uneasiness at her answer, a trained woman could be a possible threat, kunoichi or not. Before his father could jump to any more conclusions he quickly entered the conversation, hoping to diffuse his fathers paranoid thoughts.

"Yes, as Naruto-san mentioned when we first met, a diplomats daughter is an extremely viable target for competitors and enemies to take advantage of or harm. Her father had her trained so that she could defend herself in a situation in which he could not immediately help her." He quipped, forcing his father to stop his questioning.

"Hey! That makes me sound so weak." Naruto playfully grumbled. "But yes, Madara-san is right. I have taken it upon myself to perfect my traning, I respect shinobi very much and I aspire to have an arsenal of techniques and skills as well established as their own." She finished off humbly, giving a demure glance towards the head of the clan.

"What a brave thing for you to do, Naruto-san. It takes much discipline to undergo such intensive training." The matriarch of the clan said, a notable sound of respect in her own voice. Naruto only nodded gratefully in return. As if sensing his wife's approval, Tajima also nodded in acknowledgment, seeming to be pleased with the outcome of the conversation.

Madara visibly relaxed, shoulders and neck no longer stiff and at the ready. Reading the ambient, Izuna finally joined the conversation, leading the conversation onto more neutral grounds, to which his mother and Naruto took to happily. Whatever topics they were, Madara was not too concerned, he was simply glad the exchange was over and done with.

Sensing the lateness upon them, the Uchiha head motioned for the cleanup of the meal and stood, motioning others to follow suit. After a few seconds of wardrobe adjusting on everyone's part, the family made their way through a door far from the dining room, the soft breeze emitting from the exit gave clue to its exterior destination. Noting Naruto's inquisitive look, Madara softly nudged Naruto towards the door. With a slight shrug of her delicate shoulders, a motion which for some reason caused Madara's heart to accelerate, they made their way through the doorway.

Once outside, an appreciative sound emitted from Naruto, a noise which caused Madara to preen slightly, he knew all to well the cause of it. Before them was the inner garden of this household. Though it was dark out, the lanterns that were strategically placed throughout the foliage did well to illuminate the vast plants and flowers of the garden. It was his mother's joy, and his as well, though he did not like to admit, he had spent several hours helping choose and care for these plants. This plot of land had little to to with the attendents of the house, for they held little to no part in the birth of dizzying colors around them. It was a sanctuary he valued, though he used is less these days, it was a sense of pride non-the-less. Choosing one of the many footpaths that wove through the foliage, his parents slowly disappeared from view, not without missing the subtle wink that his mother threw at him. Furrowing his brows in confusion, he was startled from his ponderings when Izuna laid a hand on his shoulder. Turning towards him, Madara looked at him expectantly.

"I am off brother, my patrol duty, rather my noble replacement of yours, is soon approaching, and it would do little to impress the guards to have one the Uchiha brothers late." His brother said with slight amusement. Madara could only chuckle, "Yes, you must run off now. Izuna, the noble brother who loves to scout our lands in order for his brother to catch a break." Madara responded, knowing all too well he had all but forced Izuna to take up his shifts this week. With a wry smile, and a bow to Naruto, Izuna about-faced and re-entered the home.

"How kind of him." Naruto said, fixing the loose strand of her hair, "You're lucky to have such a devoted brother."

Hiding the grin from his face he nodded curtly. "Hn. All Uchiha men are dedicated to the protection of the clan." Madara replied, looking at her with the ever present Uchiha attitude. Watching her reaction, he couldn't help but grin as she shook her head slowly and threw her hands up in the air dramatically, muttering something about the 'cocky Uchiha boys.'

Following her, they walked side by side as they followed a footpath just as his parents did, only this one led away from them, towards the larger foliage that sprouted from overhanging trees. As the minutes passed by, Madara admired the comfortable silence between them. He rarely ever felt the need to acknowledge such an instance, but it surprised him. Silence was always something he had to force upon women and some of his comrades, it was always a command or a forceful request, it was never so natural, never this.

Both stopping at a nearby tree, Naruto caressed one of the buds, neck bent back and hair brushing past it as she reached for a larger, bloomimg flower. Swallowing thickly, Madara once again was hit by the glamour of the woman that was Naruto-san, chest aching disturbingly as he observed her. The moon that shone on her was something he didn't quite dislike, it would be too cliche to say she shone in it. Ruffling his bangs roughly he turned and caught a falling petal, gently rolling it between his fingers. For some reason he felt uncomfortably hot. He absentmindedly wondered if he was becoming ill. It would help explain all these strange flushes he had been experiencing...'Must be the changing weather' he thought to himself, the nights were becoming cooler and the days shorter. It would soon be time to trade his shorts and short sleeved shirts for pants and jackets. With a click of his tongue, he flicked the thoroughly destroyed flower petal and peered through the foliage, looking for his parents. With a sudden movement, a small hand whacked him on the back of the head.

"Gruh!" He uttered with surprise, completely taken back. Trying his hardest not to nurse the now pulsing bump, he gave the obvious assailant a not quite angry, but not quite pleased look. 'What was that for?' Madara thought with bewilderment, he knew of Naruto-san's unusually behavior, but such actions usually had a cause; one of which he could not fine.

Naruto looked at him sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Heh, my bad. You were all dopey looking, so I smacked you making sure there wasn't some mosquito sucking, your, uh, blood." She uttered lamely, knowing full well it wasn't a just answer.

Advancing at her, Madara flicked his hand out and smacked her forhead in return, causing the blond woman before him to open her mouth in a silent scream.

"Yes, you are right, there does seem to be an abundance of mosquitoes." He replied cheekily, registering the redness now appearing underneath her bangs. As Naruto took another step to retaliate, they were both stopped from any further actions as the clearing of a throat caused them to turn sharply towards the noise.

"The night grows colder. We will retire soon, it was a pleasure meeting you Naruto-san." Said Tajima. A comment that sounded genuine, Madara thought with some solice.

"It truly was, please walk her home Madara, it is late and we wouldn't want anything untoward to happen to her, now would we?" His mother replied, a jovial disposition about her that caused some unease within him, his mother was acting so strange.

Sensing their partings, Naruto bade them farewell with a hug and a bow respectively, and promised enthusiastically she would meet with his mother again. As they advanced towards the inner household, Tajima stopped at the doorway and left them with one last statement.

"When you are not occupied by your dealings with my son and Naoki-san, I hope to see a small duel between you two in the near future, Naruto-san." Then without waiting for a reply, the couple completely disappeared from sight.

Shocked, both turned and blinked at each other simultaneously. After a short pause, Naruto blinked her eyes rapdily and answered artlessly.

"Alrighty then."

* * *

><p>Following Madara's mother's request, the young Uchiha had escorted Naruto all the way to his front door. A deed which Naruto thought was a bit silly, because you know, he was a badass, so he could take on anything that came his way, but he appreciated the gesture either way. Realizing that Madara was still quiet and seemed to be in his own little world, he decided to end the night with a polite remark.<p>

"Well, that was pleasant, your family is interesting to say the least. I am glad I didn't turn down your invitation. I did not expect the main Uchiha family to be so...so..." Naruto wracked his brain for an appropriate word. He didn't want to say 'not psycho' or 'normal,' but that's what wanted to spill out of his mouth. He figured the parents of the man who caused such devastation during his time had abusive or sociopathic tendencies; which he could not detect. Sure, most sociopaths can hide it well and fake it, but Naruto surmised that Tajima was simply watching out for his son, and that the rest of his family as well. It was like any other family meeting, awkward and tense at first, but after formalities were taken care of and you acted true to your personality, the situation usually became lively. Thinking back he realized he actually did have fun, even though he had to water down his nature a bit, but was left with a positive opinion about the family.

'I can strike off crazy family off the list. Now to find other ways to get to this damn Uchiha.' He thought inwardly. Naruto felt like he was getting closer to softening Madara up. Comparing the man before him to the man he first met, Naruto could clearly tell they were no longer the same person. Now if he could continue to find ways to get closer to Madara and bar any thought of destroying Konoha from his head, then Naruto's objective would be complete. Giving a soft sigh he just shrugged his shoulder and finished his thought on the Uchiha family. "Well, I did not expect them to be so average. They seem like any other family unit." Naruto finished lamely.

Finally giving a reaction, the Uchiha merely cocked his eyebrow and looked at her inquisitvely. "I do suppose a clan such as our might seem to outsiders as a distinct breed and might interact with each other differently than what you are used to, but I assure you, we are as normal as any noble people." Madara replied, seeming to understand her thought process.

'I wouldn't go that far, but okay'. Naruto thought with some irritation, he swore Madara always found a way to make him sound superior.

Remembering the request of the Uchiha fountainhead, Naruto asked the question he was avoiding the whole walk home.

"So, then we are to spar in front of your father then?"

"Yes." Was all the Uchiha before him said.

"Is that...allowed?"

"If he requested it, then yes. I suppose a small audience might accompany him... No more than two." Madara replied after some time.

Clearing his throat, Naruto patted Madara's shoulder. "Well, I hope you're ready to get your skull beat in in front of your father and his crew." Naruto said haughtily, sliding open the door quickly and hopping in as he swerved to avoid the hand that was heading towards his back. Feeling the breeze that such quick motion caused, Naruto slammed the shoji door shut.

"Calm yourself! You're going to need that energy for the fight." Naruto yelled in a sing-song voice through the thin material, chuckling as he heard Madara try to pry the door open from outside. Naruto's hand had a solid hold on the handle and wasn't going anywhere. Unless he decides to break it down. Naruto thought with some amusement. After some time, Naruto felt the door still and listened for any movement outside. Not hearing anything he slid the door open very slowly and observed his close surroundings. Not finding any sign of the Uchiha he stretched out his senses to find any trace of the powerhouses chakra. After a few signatures from passing shinobi here and there, he couldn't sense the feel of his energy. Figuring he had headed home, Naruto slide the door shut and leaned against the frame of the house. "Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?" He whispered to himself.

Sighing with exhaustion he gave a long feline stretch and took his shoes off ready for bed. He couldn't wait to get naked and reach that sweet spot he had recently found under his breasts. He realized that after a long sweaty day, paying attention to that long strip of skin under his boobs was heaven. It was oddly not a sexual feeling, just really satisfying.

"Now I understand Ino and Sakura's appreciation for an end-of-day scratch." Naruto said to no on in particular.

As he took another step, his body jolted, turning his head behind him, Naruto looked down and noticed Madara had materialized out of nowhere and had taken a hold of her wrist.

"Gah!" He exclaimed, too surprised to do anything but stare at the aforementioned body part.

"Naruto-san, you really need to improve you training before our duel. if you truly think you are going to 'bash my head in'. It is amazing how many times a person forgets to look up." He motioned towards the ceiling with his free hand.

Snorting, Naruto couldn't help but grin," Yeah, yeah, that was a fluke." He said then tugged to free his wrist. Madara only smirked in return and tightened his grip slightly. Gritting his teeth, Naruto gave a swift kick to Madara's thigh, his free hand at the ready to smack him on the side of the head. Eyes widening slightly, Madara shifted his body weight forward, a move which cancelled Naruto's kick but at the same time upset both their balances and caused them both to land roughly on the lobby floor with a solid 'thump!'

"Owww..." Naruto complained, the shoe that he had previously kicked off now biting into his shoulder blade. Realizing he had his eyes clenched shut he opened then with a blink and couldn't help but blush. "Um..." He said softly.

Madara had somehow landed right in the middle of his twin mounds, head nestled between full breasts. Grabbing the dark tuft of hair, Naruto dragged the man's head up, sardonically looking at him in the eye. Blue eyes met black as the Uchiha heir's face quickly reddened comically. Taking in their ridiculous position and Madara's shamed expression, Naruto couldn't help it, throwing back his head he let out a peel of girlish laughter. "Y-your face! Again! H-h-ow can you, how can someone like yo-you l-look so cute?" He said without thinking, propping himself up on his elbows, eyes shut with laughter. Just as his laughter would die down, Madara's widened eyes and slightly parted mouth would once again remind Naruto of the hilarity of the situation and he'd start laughing all over again. Naruto knew it was not polite, knew that he should have brushed it off, but to think the infamous murderer of so many could be susceptible to the emotions of a teenager was too outlandish. Naruto figured he should stop and get up, since technically he still had a young mans head on his chest, but he wanted to savor this moment as long as possible.

Feeling a shift of weight on him, Naruto got a hold of himself and peered at the now standing Madara, who was shyly offering him a hand. 'Okay, okay, get over it, Naruto.' He reflected. Looking at the offered hand, Naruto took it and hauled himself up and expected to see Madara recovered from the incident. He was not, however, expecting Madara to pull on his arm and be projected into the arms of said Uchiha. 'Da hell?' He thought, nose pressed up against a broad shoulder, and being tickled slight by the man's dark hair. Scrunching his nose he was overtaken by the smell of some type of plant that Madara must have walked through earlier that night. Fidgeting, Naruto, unsure of what to do, only stiffened, hands limp at his sides. Seconds ticked by as they both stood there. With a slight tightening of his arms Madara inhaled and exhale deeply, mouth at Naruto's ear. 'Wow, too close.'Naruto mused with slight discomfort but before he could protest, the Uchiha uttered a few quick words which Naruto couldn't quite hear, and with a slight flicker, disappeared from the house, leaving Naruto staring dumbfound at the door before him.

Nursing the bruised shoulder blade, Naruto shook his head trying to make sense of what just happened.

"So weird..." He whispered to the reflection that peered back from him, as he had made his way to the bathroom. A woman looked back at him, eyes and nose twisted in confusion, a lovely mouth pursed in deep thought. Sighing, the woman did the same and slowly moved the now unruly strands of hair that were falling and distorting his vision. Washing up quickly, Naruto finally made his way to his small room, thoroughly exhausted, emotionally and physically. After shedding his clothing and crawling into bed, he closed his eyes and deciphered the warm, soft words Madara's had whispered. The short sentences now echoing in his mind.

"Thank you, I find you...cute as well."

* * *

><p>-A few weeks later-<p>

"We only need two shipments. The paperwork has all been done, please send our regards and thank Nakamura-san for his continuous service." Naruto said sweetly to the messenger before him. It was his second week of official assistant duty and Naruto had taken to it well. Business dealings were not his forte, but once he actually focused on the networking aspect, he felt that everything else fell into place. Naoki had him running around town all day meeting new clients, renewing contracts with older ones, and interacting with people of all calibers. It wasn't exactly exhausting in the way training all day was, but it was exhausting in a way that made Naruto's head ache more than usual. 'So many words to say in certain ways!' He thought with exasperation, though he appreciated the position to no end, ninjas weren't the best diplomats, well actually, they were, just not Naruto. Ironic that his role was specifically of one. He always did things with brute force and harsh, candid words. 'Tsunade is gonna be pretty stoked though. Me, learning all this professionalism.' Nartuo mused.

"I will be sure to tell him. Same for Naoki-san," the messenger responded, breaking Naruto from his contemplation. "Also, I will let Nakamura-sama know of the pleasant, new assistant that he will be dealing with." The man added coquettishly, a charming smile on his face. A face that Naruto acknowledged was handsome, but oozed an arrogance that did him no favors.

Smiling softly, Naruto bowed slightly and dismissed him politely, picking up the small stack of papers on his new desk and walking round to sit at the plush chair. Hearing the 'click' of the door latching shut, Naruto exhaled dramatically and relaxed against his chair, hands limp and hanging over the arms of it.

"Can I punch something now?" He said to the himself.

If it wasn't for the breaks he was allowed to take during the day, he would have quit long ago. 'Not that I can.'He thought grudgingly. He wouldn't bite the hand that fed him and walk out on Naoki-san. And even though he didn't want to admit it, this way of getting to know the people in the Uchiha compound and network was interesting and extremely useful. To think that the number one knuckle-headed ninja of Konoha was attending meetings and scheduling appointments. 'I guess a shinobi should be well rounded no matter how bothersome, no wonder Shikamaru is always complaining.' He brooded. He looked around his office and took in the minimal furniture. The room was made up of: his large wooden desk, that had too many drawers and compartments for Naruto to utilize; a wrap around bookshelf that stood against the four walls, a few chairs that sat in font of his desk, and a long bench-like sofa thing that he didn't really know how to label, but it had cushions and such and was propped by the corner. The whole room had an overall polished feel, one that Naruto felt wasn't appropriate regarding his nature. He was used to the more messy arrangements of his home. Smiling to himself, a faint voice reared in from his inner mind, rough and thundering like an incoming storm.

"Your filthy grovel of a home should not be a comparison to this setup, even foxes live better than that shanty. I would be more appreciative to that Naoki boy." Kyuubi grumbled. An image of the nine-tailed fox grooming his paws appearing before him.

"Wow, Kyuubi, are you worried over my living arrangements?" Naruto replied sarcastically.

"Your well-being is my priority, the amount of times that I have to remind you of this fact is mind-boggling. Perhaps it's your intellect I should be more worried about." The demon fox responded mockingly. Rolling his eyes, Naruto stood up and paced around his office.

Feeling homesick, Naruto closed his eyes for a second, and imagined his old apartment. Kitchen stacked with unorganized food, wobbly table smack down in the middle of it. His memories flipped though to his room, messy bed and dirty laundry littering the carpet floor, an unopened container of socks on his night table, just as he had left it. Sighing deeply, he shook the somber mood that was taking over him and lightly touched the extra kunais he hid in a small container strapped to his thigh. It had been rather burdensome to get a hold of these weapons. He couldn't just walk down to the market and buy a couple'of shiny weapons, that'd be too suspicious of a foreigner and would cause for much talk. 'Plus, to access the weapons area of the bizarre, one had to had some type of clearance. Clearance which Naruto assumed he probably had. "I mean I AM dealing with the top metal supplier in this region..."He mused, but at such an early point in time, he didn't want to risk anything. So with that obstacle in mind, he had waited it out until he chanced upon a box of various weapons labelled as 'óverstock.' With nimble hands, he had propped the lid open and taken a few of them, no more than five kunais, ten senbons, two daggers, and one roll of steel wire. It had made him feel a bit guilty, but Naruto felt naked without some trusty steel by his side.

"'Who knows, maybe Madara will find out and send me to jail or something.'' He muttered to the kunai he had slipped out and was playing with, the balanced knife carefully detained by his two index fingers. Mentioning his name gave him a quick jolt of the incident that happened a week and a half ago, causing him to chuckle with minor embarrassment. It had unbalanced Naruto to an extent that made him feel quite, well, girlish. He had to stifle the slight fluttering of emotions that passed through his body every time he thought about Madara's stiff confession. It had been some time since someone had said something so disorienting to him. It confused him to no end.

Grunting with his inner turmoil, Naruto threw the kunai at the wall, weapon lodged deeply beside the bookshelf that adorned the room.

"It's irritating the amount of time you spend thinking about that insect. If you wish to fornicate with that stain of a human being, then hurry it along, I tire of your petty exchanges." Kyuubi barked, antsy, mimicking Naruto's own pacing mood.

Blushing lightly, Naruto clenched his fists and threw a string of curses at the nine-tailed fox's way, trying to cover up his embarrassment. After running out of obscenities to yell in order to stop the increasing laughter of the demon fox, Naruto stomped over to the wall and tugged the kunai out of the wall, sliding it back into his thigh pouch.

"I guess I need to focus more on my ninjutsu, you're getting grumpy again." The blonde deduced from the fox's surly attitude.

"That would be appreciated." Said demon replied, coming down from his laugh high and stretching out in the space of his mind.

Naruto exhaled. It had been a while since their last 'chakra cleansing' He could feel the unused energy pushing throw his chakra pathways, it was almost unbearable, but he had been too closely monitored lately. Between meeting up with Naoki's clients and dealing with assistants and random walk-ins, he didn't have a spare moment. But after taking a look at the handy calendar and appointment book on his desk he figured it wouldn't hurt to sneak out for a couple days and go on a training bender.

"Besides, I don't actually have to see any more client for four days!" He justified to himself, that was one of the perks of this assistant position. Since Naoki wasn't an uptight asshole like Naruto imagined other bosses were, he rarely ever asked for anything personal or out of Naruto's way. It gave him much needed time to go out and practice his katas, and simply be idle for once.

"And I have the perfect thing, Kyuubi you best be up for the upcoming chakra exhaustion."

"Always." The demon replied enthusiastically.

* * *

><p>"Madara-sama, there is...a...woman waiting for you by the door." The clerk said nervously, eyes flicking between the door and the man before him, unsure on how to relay such an unusual message.<p>

Madara halted his conversation to the group of men before him and turned to look at the nervous man and gave him a confused look. 'What in Kami's name would she be doing here?' He thought with slight concern, perhaps Naoki had sent her regarding some issue he couldn't directly attend to. It was rare someone was let into the main council edifice. Though he wouldn't be surprise to find out she had somehow charmed a unsuspecting fool. He looked behind the man and saw her by the entrance, dressed in a gold kimono, hair flowing freely and blending with the garment, talking animatedly to a besotted young man who if Madara recalled correctly, had just been promoted to director of something or the other. Hiding the irritation that budded within him as he saw Naruto smile at the man, Madara politely excused himself from the small group of councilmen, who he noticed were also entertained by the colorful woman, and headed towards the increasing chatter.

"And then just as I was about to catch him, the cat flew at my partner's face and scratched his mustache right off! The look on the liaison face was priceless! You could never plan an exchange like that, we received crates of their finest spirits for the following year." The bright woman finished, hands folded in an accomplished matter. The man before her laughed heartily, appreciative eyes never leaving her form.

He cleared his throat, hoping to cut off any interaction between the two. The man noting the imposing figure before them, even though much younger than him, ceased his laughter, straightened up and hurriedly excused himself.

"Wait I wanted to tell you about what his wife said..." Naruto trailed off, downtrodden that he had scurried off so quickly. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned towards the hallway and scowled at him, hands at her hips, with an upset expression.

"Why do you do that? Did you not see I was having a lighthearted conversation with my new friend?" She growled at him.

"Well, did you not ask to see me?" He replied quickly, arms crossed.

As if forgetting her earlier anger, Naruto grinned and pounded her right fist into an open pal. "That's right! I came here to fight you!"She yelled.

Noting the surprised look from the few spectators around, the loud woman cleared her throat nervously and corrected herself, " I mean, I was going to inquire as to the previous nights. Your father wanted us to spar didn't he? Well, I've decided I want to do it today. Soon. I am too wound up to wait any longer. If you could...please tell your father..." She trailed off slowly.

Madara noted her confident stance and determined expression. . 'I believe there is no more putting this off. He groaned inwardly. He had not wanted to come in contact with her too much these few days, fearing more foolish words would spill from his mouth. The minute statement he had whispered to her after the dinner had him flinching with retained discomfort. Though at the time he had truly meant it, he had more or less fled after his little confession and had been avoiding her. Which caused Madara to become even more embarrassed, it felt like he had been doing that more these days, and they all were because of the boisterous woman before him. The fact that she had not even mentioned the situation had further increased his turmoil. 'Perhaps a bit of physical extertion will help.' he thought with little hope, he did not know how he would react to their sparring session. It was one thing meeting up on occasion to battle, but to do it fully in front of his father was another. Madara did not know whether to fear Nartuo-san or himself more. 'Father will have my head if he sees I am not acting out on my full potential.' He sighed for the millionth time, he knew Tajima thought the showdown would last no more than five minutes, even with Naruto proclamation that she could withstand more than others. It was simply how the head of a clan thought, if a simple, unheard woman could beat an heir, then why hadn't she shown up on their radar before? Kneading his forehead he submitted himself to the ordeal, this was going to happen either. Clicking his tongue he turned and headed down the wide hall expecting Naruto to follow him.

"You are in luck, father is down this corridor. We can alert him of 'our' decision quickly." He replied sarcastically, it had been her demand more than his choice.

Hearing an enthusiastic yelp, the scuffling of dainty feet filled the hallway. Not waiting for her to catch up, he continued on his way to the door on his right, knocking twice and entering, hopefully he could delay the conversation a little further. To his surprise and delight, his father stood looking down at a large scroll that was opened on the meeting room table. Extending across the whole expanse of it and falling and continuing on the ground. Containing his contentment, for Madara already knew his fathers answer, the young heir left the open ajar for Naruto and stood next to his father.

"Father, Naruto-san and I would like to spar before you today, regarding your earlier request." He said simply, almost bored, hands gingerly touching the light mesh shirt he had underneath his regular clothing that was peaking out.

Looking up from his close examination, the fountain head only gave him a tired look and shook his head. As if on que, his father responded just as Naruto entered the room.

"Today will not be a good time for me Madara, the senators for the neighboring districts have decided they do not agree with some of our arrangements." Looking behind his son, Tajima nodded apologetically to Naruto, eye back on the scroll before him, hands slowly tracing the meticulously inked characters.

Noting the crestfallen face on the young diplomats face, Tajima suggested an alternative.

"Perhaps it would be better for you both to enjoy the festival tonight, if you happen to find one of the senators there, any effort on changing their plans would be appreciated and help speed up this obstacle."

With a curt nod, Madara walked out, followed by a quiet Naruto. Closing the door behind him, he quietly sighed, just now noticing that his body had been ready, blood rushing with adrenaline, and hands pulsing with the readiness that always was present before a battle.

"Well, that sucks." Naruto exclaimed, back to the wall, pouting like a child. "And that festival seriously is not coming at a good time." The woman said to herself, kicking off the wall and heading towards the exit.

Following behind her, he grinned at her external musings, going on about the inconvenience of the festival, the creepy clients, her outfit, the rendevous point, and Izuna's request.

Wait, Izuna? The last comment caused him to halt and speak without censor.

"What about Izuna?" He said to her retreating back.

"Huh?" Naruto exclaimed, cut off from her random thoughts.

Seeing his confused face, she grinned and rocked on her feet childishly.

"Oh yeah, about that, well at the night of the dinner, before Izuna left, he asked if I wanted to go to the festival with him tonight. He asked you if you minded and you shrugged your shoulders or something, and well, that was that."

With a twist of her feet, she waved at him and left through the exit, disappearing into the crowd.

Clenching his teeth, Madara nodded slowly and headed the opposite way, knowing full well where his brother was hiding.

* * *

><p>Well, there it is, sorry for the sloppiness I tried to write it asap before I stopped like I always do.<p>

Thank you all for you patience, like seriously, you don't know how guilty I feel for having put this off for so long.

The funny thing is, this chapter would have actually come out a few months ago, but m ycomputer like legitametly died and I was way too bummed to start over. So technically, this chapter is very different from what I had initially written, but you'll never know what this is, buwahahah!

Anyways, enjoy and enjoy your summer.

Que lo pasen al cien!

-miscmist


	11. Competitive Souls

Reminder:Slightly AU, non-canon, pay no attention to latest chapters and or developments.

A small pale bird ruffled its downy feathers, head rotating back and forth quickly, surveying the strange scene before it. It had spotted a delicious meal of evening beetles, fat and shiny, gleaming in the setting sun. The bird was all but set on flying down there and picking them one by one, when a large mass alerted his threat radar and the bird had to stay put.

Humans.

There were two of them, fully grown and chirping in whatever language humans communicated in. The bird cared less, he had a one track mind and the humans were keeping it from a well deserved feeding. Chirping at them, hoping to communicate his dilemma, the humans paid him no mind. They continued their quarrel, to its dismay, stepping on his dinner.. It squawked in indignation, his meal being ground into a fine consistency. The bird hopped along the branch nearing its thinnest points, trying to get a better view of the field. Perhaps if he waited out the squabble that the humans were going through, he could still pick through remains. The weather was becoming colder and meals were harder to come by, the bird needed this. Now.

Finally after one of the humans flapped its awkward wings at the other, the two ended up a ways away, freeing the ground for the bird to pick up. Chirping in glee, the bird extended its small wings and flew down towards the ground, spotting a few salvageable pieces. Finally, thought the bird, ignoring the continuing conversation between the humans, only barely keeping an eye out if any danger approached. Soon a few of his brethren joined him, hoping for a quick meal as well.

* * *

><p>A fast punch swung towards Izuna's head, a satisfying sound of contact ringing out through the empty field. A loud crack followed as the figure hit against one of the many trees surrounding the area, causing birds to squawk and fly out in a panic. A few seconds later, a steel blade imbedded itself into the rough bark right on the spot the body of a seemingly unconscious man previously was. Looking around him for any sign of movement, Madara formed a quick hand seal and caused a wave of flames to spread out in 360 degrees, charring and burning any and all wildlife within fifty meters. Breathing roughly, he tried to calm his pants as he listened for any movement in the brush, sensing none he decide an aerial view would give him a better advantage. With a grunt, he jumped into the air as high as his muscles allowed and scanned the area, hoping to find the gleam of his brothers clothes. With the furious flapping of his clothing, he descending quickly towards the ground, quickly scanning he the tree line.<p>

_There. _He thought with satisfaction, his brother was hiding in one of the undamaged trees, performing hand seals too fast and too far away for him to see. Before Madara could block the incoming jutsu, he was quick to throw a few shuriken his brothers way, if he was lucky they would find purchase on his brothers flesh. A split second later, he was furiously avoiding the falling balls of flame that had appeared just a few seconds before he landed. After he backflipped and avoided the last fiery sphere, he was kicked from behind, a strong pain erupting from the point of contact, an unlucky ribcage.

Activating his Sharingan at the last second, he spotted his brothers next movement grabbed the oncoming leg and gave it a twist then used his body weight to catapult his brother into the ground, a small sized crater forming under the pressure. 'Oof!' He heard his brother utter, followed by a wet cough, causing small splatters of blood to be sprayed lightly onto his already soiled shirt. As if just realizing the battered shape of his brother, Madara quickly deactivated his Sharingan and blinked slowly down at Izuna.

"I give, brother, as always." Whispered Izuna in between wheezing breaths.

Trying not to feel guilty about the bruised man before him, Madara lifted himself off his brother and offered him a hand, to which Izuna took without hesitation. To his surprise a painful grin worked its way onto Izuna's face, a knowing look on his face. As if sensing his older brothers confusion, Izuna nodded his head slowly, then wiped a few droplets of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"I was wondering when you'd do that." He said simply, slowly assessing the damage his body had taken, then grunted painfully as he popped back a dislocated shoulder. He closed his eyes and felt a abnormal pain in his chest. _Ahh, two broken ribs_. Izuna concluded. _My only consolation is that they're hanging ribs. _

"You were expecting me, then." Madara replied, not as worse for wear, the only serious injury he might have to look into was a bruised knee and rib, other than that, the cuts and smaller bruises he obtained would heal in a matter of days.

Slowly limping towards a fallen tree, Izuna sat, Madara following suit. The thick and tense mood from before the match all but lifting. If it were any other sibling a verbal battle would follow, asking why one would show such violence towards the other. But these were the Uchiha brothers, arguments were always solved with fists, let the masses believe they resolved most matters civilly, they didn't care.

Taking in a greedy breath, Izuna answer slowly. "In a way yes, I did not believe though...that you would wait so long. I will admit I was surprised, it is not in you to plan so covertly, at least not with our spars." Izuna said with a pensive squint of his eyes. Wondering why his brother had waited a fortnight to 'speak to him.' It did nto help that Izuna had been patrolling the borders more often than he was used to.

Not wanting to admit his bewilderment, Madara only scoffed and clenched his fist, watching as a previously unseen cut bled slightly from the exertion.

"Keh. It is wise to switch up ones strategies from time to time. Keeps the enemy guessing." Madara retorted, trying to hide his lie with little feeling. Now he wanted answers. "Anyway..."

"Ask away then, brother." Izuna said, as if reading the contents of the older Uchiha's mind.

"Why did you not tell me of your...meeting with Naruto-san tonight?" Madara uttered throw barely clenched teeth, trying not to insinuate anything more intimate.

Sighing, Izuna only shook his head slightly, trying not to laugh at the obvious jealousy his brother was trying not to show.

"Well, seeing as how you were present for the proposal of the 'meeting arrangement' I had assumed you would know of it, and if wanted, protest against it." Izuna responded, trying to keep the mocking tone as controlled as possible. Izuna tried not to laugh. _ OH, it would be extremely fun to have to chance to court the oh-so-strange and mysterious Naruto-san._ He thought, but he knew that whatever his brother and the newcomer were involved in, was nothing as shallow as something that Izuna would participate in and sully. He especially did not want to rile up his brothers ire any more than he had already done so these past few days. His broken ribs were testament of that.

"What? When was I ever told of this? Were you meeting behind my back?" Madara growled, becoming aggressive once again, not liking the idea of Naruto spending time with anyone else, even if it was his brother. He knew Izuna's ways, his way of wooing women was very subtle and charming, he had seen one too many girls spot his brother and have them run away with tears stained eyes. _At least I'm upfront with my intentions rather then play with their emotions. _ Madara thought, trying not to lump himself with his brothers attitude towards women. Though he was no better, only using them for the occasional rump in the woods, away from prying eyes. He was always careful to choose the less influential and needy ones. Both of their ways were known throughout the closer families, his mother tutting disapprovingly whenever she heard of the newest conquest of either of the two brothers. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if that explained his mothers strange character the night of the dinner.

...during the dinner." Izuna answered back, dragging him out of his own mind, Madara only catching part of what he said. Hoping he hadn't been caught, Madara could only assumed he was talking about the dinner a few weeks ago that he had just been pondering.

"Well, I was not present for this conversation then, I would have voiced my opinion."

"Thats the thing brother, you _were_ there, furthermore, Naruto-san had so kindly inquired about the festival when you simply brushed her off with a grunt. Being the gentleman that I am, I invited her myself, you my dear brother, slightly offended Naruto-san, the hurt was clear in her gaze, though it was only there for a split second." What Izuna did not voice at the time was that he had seen an opportunity to get to know Naruto more in order to determine what his brother saw in her, and perhaps cause a few rumors here and there. Though he did not want to admit it, Izuna loved to watch drama unfold from the sidelines, picking and prodding here and there once in a while to make the show a bit more interesting.

"But I..there's no way..." Madara sputtered, confused as to how he had missed such an important conversation. He growled to himself, imagining an upset Naruto, finding out this caused a weight of guilt to be dropped onto to his shoulders. Madara did not like it, not one bit. He had to go an make it up to her, whether she knew he was doing it or not.

Standing up suddenly he looked at his brother with a clear goal in mind and declared, "Then I will go with you tonight."

Looking at his brother, Izuna could only smile, knowing his brothers answer even before Madara concluded it himself. "Of course, brother."

* * *

><p>The buzz of activity rang out through several miles around, filling the compound with laughter, screaming, and exclamations of victory. The sun had finally picked its resting spot beneath the horizon and the stars were beginning to fill the sky like small, dainty fireflies. As if accentuating the darkening of the night, the stalls that lined the main roads were lighting their bright lanterns drawing people like moths to a flame. Smells of rich food, mingling perfumes, and everything in between wafted from block to block, bringing the night to life. Naruto looked on with admiration and wonder, it was amazing the transformation that the otherwise dirty road of merchants and small stores could become into. It was truly commendable how neatly everything was organized and colorfully painted. Naruto briefly wondered where these stalls hid between seasons.<p>

Walking up to the nearest game stand, Naruto stared at the colorful assortment of toys and masks, all arranged teasingly to lure in whoever wanted to test their mettle in the shooting game. Observing the enthusiastic owner and the game layout, Naruto concluded that it wouldn't be too hard to shoot the bright balloons. _I mean, I'm a pretty good shot._ He gloated slightly, he was a shinobi after all. He tried not to eye the frog hat that was at the top of the other prizes too obviously, it wouldn't not be too smart to start the night without Izuna. And he knew for certain if the stall owner saw her gaze he'd be sure to sucker him in. He'd probably be too distracted to even notice if the soft-spoken man arrived. Thinking back to his offer, he realized it might have been slightly inappropriate to come with the younger Uchiha. If Naruto didn't know any better, he could have sworn that man wanted to flirt with him. But shook it off, I mean, a brother wouldn't do that to his own, would they? Who knew, he heard worse drama occurred in the noble families.

Grinning lecherously, he gave himself a quick up-down. _They can't help it I suppose,_ _I have got the GOODS. _This past moth was the longest he had ever been in female form, but seeing as how this was his body now, Naruto was becoming quite attached it. He had to constantly stop himself from examining his appearance whenever anything slightly reflective stood next to him. Even now, he was subtly checking his face on the gleaming mirror that hung as a tempting prize. He smiled, the woman in the mirror mimicking him, eyes crinkling mischievously as she blew a raspberry at him. Which was a bit confusing because he was pretty much describing himself. _Still, so crazy that good-looking woman is me._ He really needed to stop doing that though, he realized that he was becoming quite narcissistic in this form_. I guess I'm too self-aware. _Chuckling at his own little joke he admitted the kimono he was wearing did help him look very beautiful, or using Kurenai's wise words, the outfit 'went well with his skin tone' and did great to 'accentuate the figure.' Shrugging to no one in particular he played with the seams of the sleeves, which were a very rich burgundy color, that faded into a darker color he couldn't really describe towards the bottom. Gold stitching contrasted elegantly throughout the garment and was complimented with a pale yellow obi and black cord belt. His favorite part of the garment though was the subtle leaf pattern that flowed from shoulder down to the hem. it was a subtle 'fuck you' to the Uchiha dominated village.

"They don't have to know that though." He whispered to himself, letting out a impish giggle. Inspecting his surrounding once again, he noticed more and more people were crowding the main road, large groups of families and friends swarming from stand to stand like a flock of colorful birds. Naruto hopped from one foot to the other nervously, searching around for any sign of the younger Uchiha.

"They're going to take all the prizes." He whined childishly. Naruto needed to win something tonight, he had had a stressful week, what with all the new responsibilities and the growing guilt of his glacier-like mission. A carefree night was definitely deserved. Every time he thought about his two colliding worlds an overwhelming nausea took over him along with a shortness a breath. Naruto vaguely wondered if he was getting panic attacks. He had gotten very few in his life, most were before his training trip with Jiraiya, but he was twenty-two now, they were rare occurances. He'd finish this mission, there was never one he hadn't. I'll be coming back to you soon Konoha. _  
><em>

**_Very much so. The bond you two are forming is increasing at a quick pace._**_ The powerhouse within Naruto spoke, echoing within his mind. **Fretting over this matter will not help your situation, the elevated levels of cortisol within your system are not beneficial to you at this moment, it is best to act with a calm mind. You must also consider the mental health that connects you to me as well. I will not be able to stay so tightly wound in your mind as you wish me to if you keep repressing your chakra urges AND unnecessarily stressing us both.**_

Naruto sighed dreadfully, he knew things were getting bad when the fox demon himself was giving him pep talks. "Ugh, yes, I'll try. Damnit, this blows. I've never had to deal with something like this, It kills me at the slow pace I'm moving at.

**Though I understand little of the time frame you are working at, it seems quite reasonable compared to what I have seen you work with previous members of your race. Humans are weak, delicate, and foolish creatures, straining to form relationships with them do not usually end up well. Suddenly changing your behavior too drastically will alert him and put him on edge. If you must do something radical then do so with caution. All this work will be for naught if you become clumsy, you are no longer the kit you used to be Naruto, remember this.**

Naruto grinned and nodded his head reluctantly, the fox was right. He wasn't some bull-headed 12-year-old anymore, he had to think things through. It astounded how much wisdom could spew from the demon's mouth.

**I will not be offended by that though, but be alert, that mongrel of a human is approaching you.** The nine tailed fox grumbled.

Fixing his demeanor, Naruto stood waiting expectantly, staring off in the direction he sensed the Izuna approaching in. Then a microsecond later, another large chakra signature flared to life.

_Wait...no way._

From the bustling crowd of giggling teenagers to his right appeared not one, but two Uchiha men. _The fuck is Madara doing here? He's the dick that totally ignored my question._ Naruto fumed. Why he was so mad escaped Naruto. Its not like Madara's attention was so great. His annoyance was short lived as he Naruto admitted that he didn't look too bad. He'd be stupid to say he didn't notice how handsome they both looked, or the glances the women around him were throwing their way, some jealous, some curious. The two were clad in yukatas with the symbol of their namesake embroidered on their sleeves and Naruto guessed their back as well. They didn't exactly match seeing as how Izuna wore it tied differently and in white, while Madara wore it loosely in a navy color. But the striking resemblance between the brothers rang true, it made Naruto's head spin that these two were not twins.

"I must have done something quite cruel to deserve this punishment." Naruto yelled saucily, seeing as how the crowd had swept them into the middle of the whole festival, causing it hard to hear one another.

Smilling softly Izuna's eyes glistened with humor while Madara scoffed and straightened himself out. "Many would be thanking the gods for such good fortune."

"Now brother, not 'many' can compare to your dear Naruto-san." He said jokingly, causing a glare to be thrown his way. Madara didn't miss the way he had referred Naruto.

Ignoring whatever they were saying, Naruto strode up to Izuna and smiled at him happily, "Bout time you arrived! I almost sprang into the crowd in the hopes of winning something before you arrived. But since I have such great self-control, I waited for you, I mean, for both of your arrivals." Naruto responded cheekily, hoping over and grabbing Izuna's arm, goading him in the direction of one the stands that had caught his attention.

"I commend your restraint, Naruto-san, it is truly admirable." Izuna replied, nervously looking to his side at his brother with a 'I didn't do anything!' look. Izuna would bet a hundred horses that Madara was blaming him for their close quarters.

Naruto stopped and examined the two brothers closer, sensing the awkward atmosphere.

"Don't tell me you two have been fighting." The yukata hid them well, but Naruto spotted the blooming bruises on Izuna and the very subtle limp he sported, though not as noticeable on Madara, he noticed a small wheezing coming from them both.

Laughing nervously, Madara flipped his hair behind him, "Naruto-san, we were simply sparring, to train of course, no other reason." Hoping to derail her train of thought.

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously at him, Naruto crossed his arm, ticked off. "So you can make time to fight with Izuna just because you feel like it but you can't spare a few moments to fight with me? When I told you how much I've been needing it?!" Naruto said angrily, he had been itching for a fight so so bad, god, it had been too long since he actually pushed himself, and here was Madara practically glowing with the after-battle.

All Madara did was stand there quietly, looking at his brother, avoiding eye contact with Naruto.

"Naruto-san, it is all my fault really, please, sparring with Madara is about the only hobby I have. I had asked him quite frantically this morning, as a favor of sorts. Please, let us enjoy the evening, the stand fees are on me. Don't be shy and limit yourself at all." Izuna said quickly, hoping to divert the attention off his brother. Naruto smirked, yeah, he knew he was being played, but hey, now he could go to all the stand he wanted without feeling guilty.

"Hm..okay! I'll take your offer, now hurry, this way!" He said, not giving them another look as he bounded to the stall with the frog hat.

* * *

><p>After a long night, Naruto had ended up with three frog hats, two decorative fans, six bags of candies, and ten random assortment of carved wooden animals, most of them of the amphibian variety. Not to mention a bruised lip from when she had slapped the wooden handle of one of the stands game wands when she had become frustrated.<p>

Izuna's eye twitched nervously, he was nearing the bottom of his wallet, barely enough to buy food, which they had surprisingly not had any of yet. If he could guess it was about thirty minutes before midnight. He tried to hide the exhaustion but his previous fight with Madara had taken a bigger toll on him than he thought. Sure he had broken a couple ribs and was still nursing his sprained ankle, but this was the usual whenever his brother and him actually fought. Analyzing the situation they were all in, he nervously looked for an exit strategy. He could tell that Madara was having some type of fun, what with Naruto becoming aggressively more competitive as the night wore on, something his brother obviously found endearing; but Izuna could take no more, he had to find a way to excuse himself.

Warily looking at the people around him, his heart sung with happiness, a familiar face appearing from the crowd. Clearing his throat to catch the attention of the two, Izuna spoke as carefully as he could, trying not to give anything away. The two paid him no mind, whacking a poor water-stuffed animal in the hopes of filling a tank before the other. The prize: a pair of shiny red gloves, one of which the merchant advertised were from a far away land of fist-only fighting. He hazily remembered Naruto proclaiming she would use them to get back at his brother. Madara of course had taken the challenge quite willingly.

Sighing dejectedly, he ignored the couple and made his way to the face that would exempt him from any further activities. Waving tiredly at the man, Izuna made small talk with the jittery youth, hoping to build up enough of an excuse as to not cause skepticism. After a few more minutes, a loud and gleeful laugh erupted from behind Izuna. Turning back he spotted an extremely happy Naruto dancing around a gloomy Madara, a pair of shiny red gloves in her hands. Once in a while a glove would smack his brother on his head, which Madara would lunge after Naruto and she would dip, duck, dive and twirl away from him. Chuckling under his breath, he waited for the duo to make their way over to him, since Naruto had spotted him and he was sure she wanted to brag about her win.

Izuna turned towards the tall man and asked him quietly right before Naruto and Madara were within hearing distance. "I would be extremely honored if you were to seek my council for these new building codes you were speaking of. They intrigue me greatly." His partner nodded happily and motioned for Izuna to follow.

"Izuna-san, where are you going?!" Naruto yelled after him, pouting. "Who's your friend?!"

"My colleague here has asked me for some help, I'm sorry but I must leave, you two enjoy the rest of the festival." He replied, bowing politely and scurrying after his tall friend, trying not to show the panic on his face.

* * *

><p>Put off by his departure, Naruto frowned. They were having so much fun! Looking down at the gloves he was holding, he quickly forgot and turned to Madara, a cheeky grin on his face. He was sure that it didn't look too endearing on a woman's face, but he didn't care, he was fuckin happy. Madara could only continue his sulking, feigning to grab Naruto's hard won prize.<p>

"Okay, pay up, now you need to treat me to some delicious ramen! I'm tired of eating all the fancy food that appears in my home."

Sighing dramatically, Madara extended his hands towards the food section of the festival, face turned, hiding the grin on his face. Naruto couldn't see it, but definitely heard it in his voice when he sarcastically replied, "After you of course, you pick the unfortunate place that you grace your presence with."

Laughing to himself, Naruto marched forward and walked into one of the closest food shops. There were many portable stalls that advertised quick and cheap food, but the smell wafting from this place had caught Naruto's attention. The shop advertised an odd variety of food such as takiyoki, sushi, dumplings and other plates, but Naruto knew there was ramen brewing in the back. Finding a suitable booth, Naruto slid in and called for the attention of the shopkeep, who only seemed happier as he saw Madara stride in. Smiling happily at to whom he assumed was the owner, Naruto diverted his sputtering attention from Madara to himself with a dazzling smile and cheery expression.

"Four plates of pork ramen please! One after the other if you could. And a bottle of your best warm sake!"

Madara forwent the ramen and order fried eel, nodding to the man as the owner thanked him for his patronage and wished him a happy festival blessing.

Naruto had to keep himself from bouncing in his seat, mouth watering with anticipation. It had been a while since he had reunited with his food love. After winning all those prizes Naruto just realized how hungry he was. Speaking of prizes he looked over at the heavy bag that laid next to him, he had to pick it up once he couldn't possibly carry it all with him. Izuna had to ask one of the shop keepers for their largest canvas bag in order for their night to advance. For some reason he had sensed agitation in Izuna, perhaps that was why he had become progressively quieter during the night. Not sparing it another thought, Naruto looked at the man before him and smirked.

It was hard to admit but he had genuinely enjoyed his time with Madara, it was refreshing having someone on par competitively with him. It was always hard finding someone who didn't tire quickly from his antics. It made him fancy Madara just a little bit, though begrudgingly, it was hard to admit because the guy could be a jerk, but I guess so could he.

* * *

><p>"Why are you grinning so idiotically?" Madara said to the woman seated so jittery in front of him. He did admit that it was slightly charming, but <em>only slightly. <em>He thought quickly. It was hard to believe that this woman was older than him, albeit by only a couple of years, but still, it made him feel disoriented at times. Madara strongly believed that one should respect their seniors, but it was hard to do so when his senior was a competitive adolescent prankster peeking through the eyes of a woman. Catching her eyes, she gave him an unwavering look that made him look away. That strange warm feeling blooming in his chest once again. Feigning a cough, he slowly gave her another subtle glance, just now noticing that there was a bottle of warm sake before her.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed happily to the attendant and than began filling two of the simple white cups that were set next to the bottle. Passing one to him she raised her cup expectantly at him, sporting a shameless grin.

"I heard you were a lightweight when it comes to sake." She said, causing Madara to furrow his brow, whatever a 'lightweight' was he did not know be he assumed it had to do with his alcohol tolerance. One day he would like to sit down with her and have a serious conversation regarding her speech manerisms. Or at least have s hort Q & A, he fet like he missed out on half the things she meant by her word usage.

"I assure I am not, previous situations not counted. Shall we place another wager tonight?" He questioned, excited for another challenge with Naruto.

"You betcha! Whoever gets shit-fac- I mean, whoever caves in under the alcohol first loses!"

Madara snorted, "Obviously. What are the stakes?"

Watching her, Naruto scrunched her nose up in deep thought, thoroughly considering the bet. A few seconds passed by with feminine grunts, and whispered possibilities. No matter how endearing it was, he was beginning to tire of holding a rapidly cooling glass of sake so he spoke up first. He had a beautiful and lecherous thought, trying to hide his reddening face, he cleared his throat and spoke as clearly as possible.

"If I win then you must run down this main road...

"Oh, well that's easy!" She exclaimed

...with only that frog hat as clothing." He finished

Naruto quickly straightened and look at him, appalled, mouth hanging open, sake cup forgotten in her hand. He grinned, but tried to hide the irregularly fast beat of his heart. He knew she would reject the stakes, but a little bit of him wanted her to accept it. But judging by her incredulous, he guessed she was about to smack him and haggle for a new stake.

"Well, Uchiha-_sama,_ what a lewd suggestion." She said, hand to her heart, head cocked at him dramatically.

Clearing his throat nervously, he readied an alternative deal.

"I'll agree to it." The alluring woman said, face now pleasantly restrained and sly.

Madara's eyes widened, his heart beating even fast. _She accepted?_ Gulping thickly, the prized image of a naked and wet Naruto-san appeared in his mind, cheeks flushed from the heat of the hot springs they had broken in what seemed like ages ago. The delicious curves of said slick body causing his blood to boil. Closing his eyes, he let out a shuddering breath, stopping his mind from lapping at the treasured memory he had. It would be no good to become too excited and cause Naruto to spot his erhm, ordeal.

"In return, if _I _win, you and I go right now, after our meal to the nearest damn training field, or whatever you call them, and have a full on brawl. No holding back."

Snapping back to reality, he opened his eyes. _Thats...all? Such a simple request._ It's not like they hadn't sparred before.

"No, you don't understand. I mean _no _holding back, you get me? It doesn't matter what condition we're in. Otherwise you have to do the stake that you put on me. So, unless you want to have your bits displayed for all the compound to see, I suggest you either get me drunk first, or prepare for one hellavu fight." Naruto all but shouted, raising her cup of sake up one again, staring at him with an intensity that riled him up. A masculine growl began to build up within him. _He needed to win this._ Catching her contagious attitude, he grinned just as cheekily, or as much as an Uchiha could, and held his cup up as well, and knocked it with hers. He hadn't been this excited in a long, long time.

"Cheers." He replied, tipping back his head as they both swallowed the first of many cups to come.

* * *

><p>The shop owner stared in wonder at the remaining customers in his stand. He looked around and realized that the stalls of the festival had all but shut down for the night, and the few wandering souls who had stayed later were finally turning in for the night. He was one of the only people still awake, well, sans his two last customers. It astonished him that Madara Uchiha, <em>the <em>Madara Uchiha was sitting in his humble shop, drinking cheap sake of all things! And with an unknown woman! A very stunning woman with strange golden hair. The woman he assumed must be the female that the town had rumors around, ones that he had been hearing recently. Some flattering, some not so much. They honestly did not give her justice, it was strange to find such a brash and assertive being hidden in such a beguiling body. Thinking back to the gossip, he did hear mentioned that she beat up hoodlums after dark.

Shaking his head, he tried to beat back his drowsiness, he was getting along in his age and no longer able to stay up so late. But by the look of the strange duo, it seemed they were nearing their end as well. The fifth, and hopefully last bottle, the woman was nursing was teetering extremely close to the edge of the table, her mouth slurring words he could not read from where he was situated. Whatever was said must have been quite comical, because Madara-sama laughed harshly and stumbled to a standing position. Face red with the flush of alcohol in his system, the owner guessed, the well-known young man stood to take the bottle of sake from her, which she happily obliged and threw it at him. This caused the Uchiha heir to stumble backwards and land hard on the booth, clumsily catching it, spilling a substantial amount of liquid on himself.

"Oh dear, what did she encourage him to do..?" The man whispered to himself, it seemed the woman had challenged him to something Madara-sama could not back down from. Keeping a close eye on the pair, he watched as the Uchiha took the sake bottle and laid it agains his lips, eyes blinking rapidly, tyring to focus on the liquid before him. With a deep breath, the man tipped his head back and began to chug the remaining liquid.

_There's no possible way! _The man gripped his dirty apron nervously. This was not good. Though he was a young and strong man, he doubted the Uchiha could down the rest of the bottle. It was a miracle neither had thrown up yet. If he gauged their drunk stupors, he concluded that the young heir of the compound was definitely at a disadvantage. The woman was quite drunk, but functionally so, while Madara was messily trying to continue.

As expected, Madara's eyes began to water and he turned his head and spit out the liquid that wouldn't go go down his esophagus. Then he stumbled and ran out the restaurant, the unmistakable sound of retching heard a few seconds later.

This seemed like the funniest moment in the word for the woman, because a peel of unrestrained laughter rang through the wooden edifice, her hand thumping against the table, tears of joy slowly making their way down her reddened face.

He couldn't help but sigh. Finally, he could go home. The blonde woman laughed for quite a bit longer before stumbling up, then gaining her balanced and yelled at him drunkenly, failing to hide her intoxication. _  
><em>

"Sorrrry, b-bout the..the mess. I'll..uh, Ill have him c-c-clean itrightupokay?!" She slurred, a somewhat apologetic look on her face, as she snickered again, the Uchiha still emptying the contents of his stomach.

"No matte! It is of no consequence, I'll clean it just fine. " He stammered, hoping not to give the rowdy woman any more reason to keep him from his warm bed.

This seemed to cause the woman much anguish because she pouted and stomped her feet childishly, "No, let me do it! And, and, and, I-I'll go get some m-money too. He's faaaaaaar, far, awaaaaay right now." She said dreamily, slowly starting to waltz to some unheard music.

Laughing nervously he shook his head frantically," No it's fine, miss. Madara-sama is a very valuable customer, I'm sure he will come back when he is more, erhm, able to. Please, make your way to your prospective homes, it is late." With a pleading motion he was careful to stop around the mess they had left and gently urged her out the exit, holding his breath as the smell of bile hit his nose.

"Awww, okaaay." The woman giggled and bowed quickly and skipped to the tree that Madara was kneeled by.

With a wary glance, the man made his way back into his shop, happily cleaning up the mess. What further actions they were up to he didn't really pay any matter to, he was at least able to go home and sleep.

* * *

><p>Grinning madly to himself, Naruto strutted, or more like stumbled his way over to the Uchiha who was now dry heaving into the bushes. His slightly blurry vision did not obscure the glorious sight before him. The eldest son of the Uchiha name was doubled over, hands digging into the ground, barely supporting his weight, heaving into nothing. His hair had thankfully been spared of any mess that had errupted from his mouth, miraculously staying in the hair tie Madara had somehow pulled out. His clothes were another matter. Most of it was sullied from the spilled alcohol and stained with an unknown red sauce that had been sitting at the table. As if to add insult to injury, thick globules of their meal were slowly sliding down his yukata, ruining the lovely robe. Naruto had a time to frown slightly, he hoped his mother didn't have to do. Shrugging, he gripped the young man by his shoulder and heaved him to a standing position, supporting most of his body weight.<p>

Making sure he was somewhat stable, he slowly made his way to what he could only hope was a training field. For the millionth time that night he chuckled and thanked the fox for his chakra. The great demon had been pumping the alcohol out of his system slowly, just enough not to cause too much suspicion. He vaguely heard the demon grumble disapprovingly, mentioning how a great fox demon was reduced to a glorified liver. Snorting, he ignored him and continued on his path. His stride becoming more sturdy and direct, now that he had stopped drinking, the toxins in his body were being filtered out faster.

"Ugh..." Uttered the intoxicated Uchiha, mouth slobbering unattractively, head hanging down loosely. Naruto could only grin harder.

"Hey, buddy. I don't care how drunk you are, a bets a bet." He groaned slightly as he readjusted the mans weight on him, he was glad this female body was almost as strong as his own, a small wonder.

"Dizzy..." Madara said, after very many failed attempts.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, you got some strong chakra on your own, by the time we get to field you should be good enough to fight."

Madara only stayed quiet, moving his feet mechanically, following Naruto's stride.

After what seemed like hours, Naruto finally arrived at the small open clearing, moon shining down brightly on the plain, flat surface. Sniffing the air, he smelled a familiar scent floating around. Scanning the area he found the cause of the smell and spotted a familiar puddle of liquid. Well, actually a few more; sporadically strewn about the field. _Guess this is the hot spot to release the alcohol beast._ Naruto thought, he counted almost eight puddles of vomit, varying lengths and consistency. Not caring much for how disgusting it was, he stepped over a couple and dragged his unresponsive partner to the middle of the clearing. It was subtle, but the bastard's breathing was evening out and his muscles were beginning to tense up, no longer limp and useless.

Reaching what he guessed was the middle, Naruto released his hold on Madara and popped the kinks out of his back, almost back to his normal self. Only a faint buzzed feeling remained, as if he had only downed a few beers.

**That's all I'm doing for you, your toxins are soiling my senses, now I shall sleep.** Without another word, the fox demon fell asleep, cutting off his help to Naruto.

Taking in a deep breath, he stared at the stars for a while, wondering what small differences he would see when he finally returned to his own time. Sniffling, he wiped the snot from his nose, quite unlady-like, he knew, but his nose always ran whenever he drank. Sensing his rigid body, he did some quick stretching exercises, hoping to get the blood flowing. Lost in his routine he almost missed the deep inhale that came from the formerly unresponsive Madara.

To his surprise Madara was also limbering up, though not as smoothly, but nevertheless he was doing his own small routine. Hands entwined high above his head, stretching the full length of his body. Wiping his hands roughly over his face, Madara seemed more present than before, the dead look in his eyes quickly dissipating.

"Good! You're back from the dead." He exclaimed with excitement. Naruto's body were ablaze with energy, his inner coils almost humming with anticipation. Sadly he wouldn't be a blt to use his chakra in order to keep his secret hidden, but he loved to brawl, and Madara was an excellent partner. He was giddy with adrenaline, he suspected that the leftover alcohol in Madara's system would loosen his hold on his power. _Now_ he could fully fight the Uchiha, without wondering if he was holding back or letting him land extra blows.

Ten minutes passed by and Naruto patiently waited for Madara to finish his stretches, and to his surprise, the man took off his ruined yukata. Sporting a thin pair of white shorts and short sleeved shirt. Pouting, Naruto looked down at his own attire, a stuffy, heavy kimono. Nodding to himself, he followed Madara's suit and took of the heaviest layers of the kimono and discarded them by his feet. Similar to the Uchiha, it was a very thin material, lightweight and beige in color. Naruto had to use the black cord belt in order to secure the slip. The only other thing underneath the garment was his underwear.

Sliding smoothly into his starting stance, he awaited for any sign of Madara's part. Not wanting to start unfairly, even if it made things more interesting. _Fair and square. Naruto, you got this._ He had a slight advantage due to his alcohol filtration, but he knew not to underestimate the sharingan wielder. Naruto sensed the crackling energy building up around them, as with all fights. A heavy sense of power flowing from both their bodies. It wasn't chakra per se or killer intent, but the body's natural chi. As if sensing the two's pending duel, the nightlife around them quieted, not a peep from even the loudest cricket. A soft breez blew through the field, the soft whisperings of the trees all that could be heard.

Exhaling one last time, Naruto looked up in time for Madara to nod curtly, a determined look on his face. Nodding back at him, Naruto's body sung with energy, ready for whatever the brawl would bring. As always, Madara stood stoic and calculating, not showing any sign of movement. It was hard to imagine that less than an hour earlier the two were acting like drunk idiots. _The power of a strong-willed body and mind. And a good hurl. _Naruto added cheekily.

With a jump to his right, Naruto had a brief second to assess his situation before Madara flickered out of sight. Grinning excitedly, Naruto's mind began to throw several possible ways to attack the man that had just disappeared before him. He would have called foul on the man for seemingly using a chakra technique, but he knew the man was just that fast. _But I'm faster. _He thought cockily as he also appeared to become but a mere flicker of movement.

Running forward he was pleased to find a fist that seemingly popped into existence. Naruto ducked quickly and threw an uppercut to the now visible man. Sensing his attack, Madara pivoted on his right leg quickly and bent backwards at a sharp angle hands now meeting the ground in a somersault position. _There! _But before Naruto could take advantage of Madara's strained position, the nimble Uchiha twisted and suddenly straightened into a arrangement that resembled the eagle fighting stance; arms spread out from his body, fingers curled in resembling talons while his body crouched slightly.

Impressed that such a foreign move was being adopted so inland, Naruto once again flickered out of sight hoping to catch the man unawares. Madara twitched slightly then also did the same. Both circled each other warily, though at incredibly high speeds. After playing cat and mouse, Naruto suddenly switched directions and strained his muscles for an extra burst of speed as he met the visibly shocked Madara perpendicularly. Naruto jumped over the man and successfully landed a harsh blow to his shoulder, hearing a satisfying 'crack!' then another to his kidney. Madara's reacted a milisecond later, pivoting on his left leg and swinging with his right, a dangerous amount of momentum building up. Dropping down and rolling out of the way, Naruto narrowly escaped the muscled weapon that would have sure dislocated his jawbone. Flipping up quickly Naruto added some space between the two, trying to catch his breath. A cloud of dirt had risen up from the previous undisturbed ground and was coating the inside of his throat uncomfortably. Sneezing, Naruto forced his body to take in the unwanted guest, if only for a second, but Naruto sneezed harder yet. Seeing his opportunity, Madara bolted towards Naruto and landed a solid hit to his stomach, then he jumped back and threw a kick at Nauto's head.

Eyes widening in panic Naruto knew he wouldn't dodge in time so he quickly brought his hands up to try and redirect the point of impact. Just as he raised his arms to block, Madara's kick landed square on his arms, just above the elbow, eliciting a pained grunt from Naruto. _Fuck, shit, damnit. That hurt. _Preparing for another kick, Naruto swiped out his own leg and blocked the hit successfully. Then grabbed Madara's shirt and threw him on the ground, landing a barrage of punches to his chest, and one to his head. Leaping off him, he backflipped thrice and stood still, staring at the slowly rising Madara trying to catch his breath. His vision pounded with his accelerated heartbeat and his muscles were beginning to ache wonderfully.

_This is the shit I live for._ He thought blissfully as his body began to protest against the accumulating stress. Sure he was in a bit of pain, but Naruto's taste went slightly masochistic whenever he fought. _But it hasn't even been that long. _He complained to no one in particular. If he guessed, perhaps forty-five minutes had passed. But then he stopped and looked around. He noticed the moon was not as bright, being overtaken by the dawning blue light of a new day. The stars were no longer as visible, only the brightest still twinkling above. A few birds were now flying overhead, squawking at one another, and the morning air was slowly filled with smells of early risers. Naruto dully noted that the sun was still nestled behind the trees, not yet reaching the horizon, but he estimated it would soon show itself in less than two hours. _Huh, I guess time flies when you're hav-_

His thoughts were interrupted as a punch met him squarely in the face, his cheekbone taking most of the force. The punch in question had such force behind it, that it sent him flying onto his back, body dragging backwards, earth debris flying everywhere. Before he could stand on his feet, Madara was there, foot raised ready to land a deadly hit on his sternum. Taken aback, he retaliated by rolling onto his side and quickly swiped his legs in a scissor-like, and successfully landed a concrete blow onto Madaras shin.

"Keh!" the Uchiha groaned ready to retreat and attack once more, but before he could jump away, Naruto launched himself at the Uchiha and wrapped his arms around the youths midsection and twisted, similar to a wrestling move he had seen in a magazine, and once again dropped Madara onto his back. Sensing the oncoming blows, Madara was quick to release his hands and block the set of punches Naruto unsuccessfully threw his way. Naruto twisted and rolled off Madara, ready for another count strike, but just as he was about to stand, Madara rolled over him just in time to stop his movement. He had just enough time to roll so that he somehow ended up grabbing the Uchiha's feet. _Well, damn._

Sensing his inevitable escape, Madara also grabbed Naruto's feet, hooking his arms around the shins, mimicking Naruto's move. This maneuver however locked both of them in place, rolling over endlessly being the only move they could do. Hoping to wrap his legs around Madara and cut off his air supply, Naruto used as much force as was available to him and kneed Madara in the stomach, which gave him but a split second to do as he planned. But seeing as how it had worked for him, Madara did the same and was now also executing the same move as Naruto.

_OH no._ Naruto thought, as they booth laid opposite of each other, slowly strangling the oxygen they had left. Peering through the legs wrapped around him, he analyzed the view. which he only assumed Madara was similarly experiencing. Naruto saw the clearing light of day reach the sky, the moon but a faint outline in the sky. He couldn't' help but grin as his vision tunneled in, black creeping in from his peripherals, narrowing down until he could barley make out the clouds in the sky. _Awesome._ he thought just a few seconds away from consciousness. With one last breath he released the hold on his legs on Madara, just now noticing that the two limbs wrapped around him had grown slack a few seconds ago.

Coughing harshly, Naruto used the last of his strength to flip over the unconscious Madara. All the while trying to breath in as much oxygen as he could. Looking down at the roughed up youth before him, Naruto laid his ear next to Madara's nose, making sure he hadn't killed the guy. Counting to ten no movement came from his chest. Instantaneously,Naruto scrambled and crouched over Madara. _He's not breathing!_

Tilting Madara's head back, Naruto was quick to lay his mouth over the Uchiha's and breathed in, then quickly set to work by intertwining his hands and pumping in a regulated beat on the younger mans chest. Counting in his head, he went back and plugged the mans nose and breathed into his mouth again, and then went back to pumping.

**Why don't you just let him die?**

Naruto froze, hands mid-pump. "W-what?"

**Let him die. take the opportunity. Look, now is your chance. If you breath in one last time he will survive, but if you do not, his life will be no more. This will serve all your problems. Are you not concerned for your future peers lives? **The Kyuubi replied, almost nonchalantly.

"I..can't do that..

**Why ever not? **The fox responded, slightly deflated.

An dam of memories broke within Naruto then, flashbacks of all the lives he had saved, and the ones he had taken. Familiar faces flitted in and out of his minds eyes, all showing little pieces of how Naruto had affected their lives. Good, bad, misunderstood. He had given them all a chance, even when others had wanted blood. He believed strongly in the hidden good in everyone. After what felt like an eternity, Naruto returned to himself and shook his head.

"Because I do things my own way, especially if that means no lives are lost."

And with that, Naruto continued to give CPR to the unconscious man before him. Just as the demon had said, with the following breath, Madara awoke coughing, eyes wide open. Leaning back, Naruto looked at Madara happily, admittedly glad that he had lived. Before he considered what he was doing, he bent down and wrapped his arms around Madara tightly, hugging him. He missed the confused furrow of the Uchiha's brow, and the slow creeping blush that was working its way up his neck.

As if just realizing that he was a few moments from death, Madara returned her hug, a low rumbling building up in his belly. Before Naruto could figure out what it was, a raspy laugh made its way out of Madara's mouth, shaking his entire body. Releasing his hold on him, Naruto motioned to stand up to find out what the hell this crazy man was laughing about. But just as he was on his knees, Madara dragged him back down.

"Hey, are you o-!"

The sentence was never finished as his lips were roughly molded together with the chapped skin of another. Naruto's eyes widened, but Madara only deepened the kiss, cocking his head slightly and angling their mouths to fit more comfortably. _What in the..._ Naruto thought before a surprisingly hard caress caused the kiss to become something more. Not being able to help it, Naruto moaned softly, and returned the kiss; clenching his hands on the the broad shoulders beneath him. Sensing Naruto's approval, Madara's hand wrapped around Naruto's trim waist and softly placed the slender body beneath him. They separated to catch some air before they continued their battle. Both mouths fighting for dominance, even now not submitting to the other. A slow growing desire began building within Naruto, spreading out from his core, doubly encouraged by the groans that were escaping the Uchiha above him. Waves of delicious heat began spread throughout is body. With a flirty look, Naruto hooked his long slender legs around Madara's waist, causing the thin material of what remained of his kimono to ride up teasingly. The pleasant pressure from the action caused Naruto's back to arch, eyes fluttering shut in pleasure. _Oh my. _

This caused a masculine growl from Madara, who responded by grinding his hips slow and hard down onto the woman beneath him, and his mouth to once again join the lips beneath him with bruising force. Naruto moaned wantonly, unashamed of the bliss he was going through. He had forgotten how sensitive a woman's body was. His hands scrambled to find purchase. With a heady sigh, Naruto wrapped his hands around Madara's long, fine hair, settling against the base of his neck. Madara seemed to enjoy it as he rumbled appreciatively , mouth now working its way to his delicate throat. With a surprised yelp, Naruto mewled in desire. Madara had released the belt from the slip of clothing had enclosed a full breast in his hand, kneading it softly.

"Ah!" Naruto sighed, hands now working their way to the chiseled chest that was slowly now making an appearance. Madara stopped suddenly, an wary look in his eyes, seeming shy and unsure. Now of all times.

Naruto tried not to giggle, even after all that the young Uchiha was hesitant. _Cute._

Smiling seductively, Naruto used the advantage he had and flipped them over roughly, straddling the flushed Uchiha. Looking down at him with lust filled eyes, Naruto grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him fiercely, causing a groan to escape the man below. Wanting to hear much more, Naruto slid down slight and encountered a lump, to which he slid over carefully and ground into just right.

* * *

><p>"N-naruto-san!" Madara shouted, hands flying to her her hips, moaning brazenly as the golden-maned goddess thrust above him, head flying back in pleasure, exposing pert, full breasts. A sight he engraved into his head, he didn't know if he would ever witness this again. The visual was enough to black him out. It was almost too much. This pleasure. Madara had never felt anything like it. Every touch, every whisper, every moan that made its way to his ears caused Madara's body to light afire with a passion he didn't know he had. With a husky groan he bucked up into the beauty above him, his groin meeting hers in a carnal sound. Again, the almost unmesurable pleasure. He didn't know it could feel like this. If he were to wander to the poetic side it almost felt as if they were one flowing, blissful creature, harmonizing with each other through their bodies. He couldn't feel where his skin ended and hers began. All the nerve endings of his body turned up higher than her had ever felt.<p>

"Madaaraaa." Naruto bent down and whispered into his ear, causing him to become harder than he thought he could.

"Y-yes?" Was all he could says, cherishing her informality. Eyes closed, taking in her scent, Madara began kissing her neck lightly, arms tightening around her lithe body.

"I think...we have..an audience." She said softly, hands no longer roaming his body, but now subtly closing the simple robe she had on.

Mind still clouded with pleasure, Madara was confused when the warm body above lifted off him, holding back a whine. He blinked rapidly, now realizing Naruto was wrapping the black cord she had just taken off.

"Wha..?" He trailed off as he finally felt the chakra signatures around him. Standing ram rod straight, he pulled over the shirt he just realized had been pulled off of him and stood at attention, not bothering to hide his throbbing erection. Whoever was coming had surely seen the show. How much of it, though, was the question.

With a quick look to make sure Naruto was covered, Madara made his way over to the two figures that were increasingly coming closer.

Trying to ignore the stabs of pain that just now registered through his body, Madara reached the stoic man and bowed, trying to hide his discombobulated expression.

"Father?"

* * *

><p>BAM! And she makes an appearance, say whaaat? :O<p>

How long has it been, almost five months?! Jeez, and you still came back to me. .·´¯`(U.U)´¯`·. -thats me crying by the way, stupid kaomoji.

THANK YOU for reading this latest chapter. I finally stopped brooding and posted it!

So how you like it? Its got a lil bit of everything riiight? Well, I tried, it's all I can do really, ahahah.

I tried to have a semi-legit fight and lemon scene, sorry it its lame, I am a mediocre writer at best. ̥̥̥̥̥́⌢ ̥̥̥̥̥̀ It was so exhausting, ahahah.

Anywyas, I just want to thank all my worldwide readers and veiwers, [ I see you Estonia!] It warms this tiny, sad little heart to see reviews even 5 months later, its what keeps me from abandoning this story completely, _ugh, why am I so lazy_. It wasn't supposed to get this serious! Lol.

Well, thats really is all I have to say, love you all, review and let me know what you think.

~Besos


	12. Chapter 12

Say what, Naruto is officially over? I am so behind, honestly I'm probably never gonna finish it. Seriously you guys, like the last chapter I read was over two years ago. .

Anyways...here's the new chapter, I'll stop blabbering and let you guys enjoy.

Like always, remember this is not cannon, it does not follow the storyline too much.

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><p>Painfully aware of the shouting match happening just a few inches behind him, Naruto sat silently on the stone bench bored out of his mind. <em>This happens way too much. <em>He thought with irritation. Rubbing a sore wrist, he looked around the sad room he was in. The only decoration that made up the room, a room which Madara's father had grimly appointed him to, was the bench itself. OH, and the dust, lots of it, no one spared a second thought to make this place look more presentable.

Frowning, Naruto pulled on a stray lock as he thought back to the clearing…he had sensed him. He should have known. But his thoughts had dribbled into the gutter and his body had ignored the warnings, Naruto shook himself with disgust. He had felt a subtle surge of chakra, but he had taken it to being Madara's. He amassed it to his sobriety, concerning sex obviously. He hadn't, well, embarrassingly enough, he hadn't been touched in a while. His mind had been muddled with delicious dark things, it didn't help that any sort of intimate caress was amplified twofold in his new body

"I'm a idiot for letting carnal pleasure best my senses." Naruto thought aloud, repressing the urge to punch the stone walls surrounding him. Or vomit, he didn't know which one yet. Though he could not deny the desire that had rang throughout his body while in contact with Madara, he could not forgive himself for being so blind. Readjusting his scuffed up robe, Naruto crossed his legs. He wasn't sickened by the fact he had a small intimate interaction with the Uchiha, I mean this wasn't the first time he'd interacted in that way with the same sex, or even with a transformed body. But it _was_ the first time he wasn't in complete control and aware of his surroundings, it irked him. It made him feel like he was the same uncontrollable horny 15-year old boy from his younger years. Jirayia would both applaud and chastise him.

Sighing deeply, he leaned against the cold walls, looking up into a dark ceiling they had unceremoniously dumped him in. It was little more than a glorified broom closet. No bigger in length or width than a conservative bathroom. It was odd that such a room existed, seeing as how nothing but the stone bunch in which he sat decorated the space. Save for the small bones of a long dead rodent, it clearly showed how frequently the room was cleaned. He guessed it was some type of intimidation waiting room, but honestly, whoever designed it was probably running low on sleep or motivation, because it sucked. "I bet it was some overstressed intern," He said to no one in particular, then laughed. It always cracked him up. Ninjas. With interns. The juxtaposition of it all made him grin, every system needs a system. Shaking his head he tucked a few strand of hair behind his ear and licked his chapped lips.

If he had to judge how bad of a situation he was in, he could not really tell, and honestly didn't care. I mean so what, he did some hanky panky with the son of a very power family. But it's not like he broke anything on him. "T_he only bone in his body that might have been a bit injured would be his dick."_ Naruto thought vulgarly. Thinking of how they ended up here, Naruto once again analyzed the situation.

All had been calm enough, as Madara had guiltily made his way over to his father. A few words were exchanged which Naruto couldnt quite catch, but the way they had been said clearly rang throughout the ruined clearing. Terse. Controlled. Stoic. Madara had sullenly motioned for her to follow the retreating figure of his father, to which he had sighed and nodded. Once doing so, a smaller man had made his appearance next to the clan head, seemingly fusing out of thin air. Surprised that he did not notice him earlier, Naruto berated himself further during the long walk back to the compound. '_How the fuck did I not sense that little man?'_ Later Madara would tell her of the importance of the man, but Naruto could only shake his head in self-loathing. No matter how weak or strong a character, Naruto was always good at sensing people, Kyuubi almost made it impossible not to be aware of the different people around him.

Clenching his teeth, Naruto resisted the urge to grind them to a fine dust. For he could not clearly hear the men speaking, he only felt their signature spike. Naruto grudgingly admired the reserves and power that emitted from the clan head. He wondered why Madara's father was so upset. Looking down at himself, he blushed at his appearance. _Maybe it's got to do with the fact I look like a cheap tramp. _The thin material of his underclothes barley hid the female figure.

Standing up he began pacing, rubbing gently at his numb cheeks. _It's been almost an hour! _ He though with agitation, what could they be arguing so loudly over? Restricted by the small space, Naruto rounded a corner for the umpteenth time, frowning at the dirt covered ground.

_I thought his parents had liked me, or at least tolerated my possible relationship with him._ Naruto thought with agitation, considering other options as to why he was basically locked up in this stone closet. I mean, _sure, _no matter what status or position you were in, seeing your child in a compromising position was never favorable, but it's not like they'd torn apart a treaty or something.

Groaning again, he resumed his pacing. Swithching his direction Naruto did a few more rounds and decided to sit down, but was happily disrupted when the knob-less door cracked open, a small figure motioning for her to follow him. _Yes! _ It was the little man from earlier.

Once outside the door, Naruto blinked slightly, adjusting to the better lit hallway. But not much time was given to him as the small man opened a door without knocking and merely looked at him, suggesting he was to go in alone. Speeding up his pace, he stopped right before the opened door and composed himself as best he could, then walked in.

Tajima sat on a lone table, big enough to seat about six, but only two chairs were visible, one already obviously occupied by the man himself. Confused by the small conference-like room, Naruto walked forward and sat down.

Without waiting a beat, Tajima spoke.

"It has come to my attention that you have skills on par with my son."

Bewildered, Naruto didn't have time to hide his confused expression. This, he was not expecting. _Isn't he supposed to call me a harlot or something and ban me from his compound? _As if sensing his innermost thoughts, Tajima 'hmm'ed softly and continued speaking in a soft, but clear voice.

"What I saw at the end of your battle is of little importance to me as of this moment. I am far more interested in the skill set that you demonstrated as you were sparring with Madara." Tajima replied, ignoring Naruto's deepening confusion.

Silently, Naruto contemplated his next choice of words, but couldn't help but blurt out his thoughts anyway. '"You saw that? I mean, you saw all of it?" Naruto managed to say, hands fidgeting at the ragged clothing. "How…" Naruto trailed off, he didn't want to say anything that'd screw him over. It wasn't like him to be so nervous, he was an awesome shinobi goddamnit! But this was such a strange situation and conversation he didn't know quite how to react.

"Please, Naruto-san, one does not need to see a battle in order to feel or hear it happening."

_Oh, hahah, yeah._ Naruto nodded dumbly.

"As I was saying, my closest council and I witnessed the magnitude and ability that you hold Naruto-san. In few words, I am impressed. We both are. I will admit that the earlier notion for you two to spar must be redacted, or at least adjusted. I see now I must apologize. It would have only meant to be as a small form of entertainment, nothing more. I did not think you would have been much of a challenge to my son. But now I see I am wrong. Though it might be against the silly chivalric notions my son holds, I would like to make a serious request of you."

If Naruto was confused before, then he had no idea how to describe the way he was feeling now. _So he's not upset I was all over his son? He's more interested in…my fighting skills?_

After a few terse seconds Naruto began to dig his palms into his thighs, hands invisible under the table. Tajima's words sinking into him, realizing the situation he had just put himself into. _Shit._

_"_Yes. We cannot believe the reason you gave us earlier as to how you learned those skills. There is merely no way a diplomats daughter can be so well-versed and agile in such fighting techniques when as you say, you started as a young teen, even with a shinobi tutor. We have conducted a small inquiry around the few informants we have, and no such shinobi exist that would be allowed by their village to leave, such an asset would not have gone unnoticed for so long." Pausing, the clan head gave her a straight forward look, a look that promised pain, but also contained an undertone of curiosity.

Naruto noticed Tajima could have been more accusatory, but for some reason was giving her some slack. '_Must have to do with whatever request he's gonna ask me.' _Naruto thought solemnly, he knew this was a very probably situation, he had even prepared for it. But the extended time he had been here had made him too comfortable, his status as a special citizen had softened the real threat that he had put himself into. '_He's going to use me somehow, but what position would he give me? To trust a stranger, even one with skills is a dangerous move. _

Tajima cocked his head slowly, and continued his flow of words. "In other situations, we would have apprehended you as a spy and would have justly either executed or incarcerated you by this time. But seeing as how Madara seems to vouch for you, as well as several of the people you have befriended here, we will give you a chance to explain yourself. I am also quite curious why you have waited this long to make a move, spies rarely do."

Swallowing thickly, Naruto tried not to hyperventilate. _How had they known? _He hadn't even used any jutsus, or chakra for that matter. _They know though, what the fuck and I supposed to do._ He thought a million scenarios a minute. Either he told the crazy truth and he was branded a lunatic, and executed. Or he could lie, but for some reason he felt that Tajima would sense it and imprison him til they found an answer they wanted. Or more radically, he could attempt to escape. A jab here, a swift quick and leap there, and he'd be in the clear. Then again, this was the clan head of the Uchiha foundation, he'd doubted he could incapacitate such a man so easily.

Sighing Naruto cleared his thoughts and simply meditate for a few milliseconds and remembered a few of the wise words Iruka had taught him.

"_Sometimes it is easier to lie when you don't have to."_ Opening the eyes he didn't realize he had closed, Naruto leaned forward, and gave a grave stare to the man before him. _Kami give me strength._

"You're right. I'm not a regular diplomats daughter."

With quickly gleam of his eyes that was gone within the second, Tajima stiffened, eyes narrowing down at him. To the common eye it would have been a tick, but Naruto knew Tajima had already set upon a plan to seize him, the slowly increase of chakra within the room was an indication of a developing jutsu.

"But you are wrong as well."

Tajima continued his steely gaze, not wavering from his sitting position, deceivingly unperturbed.

"I am not an insidious spy." Naruto said clearly, head lifted high, a small amount of chakra leaking out, his mind also creating an exit plan if things went south.

"Continue." Tajima demanded. Naruto exhaled softly and blinked slowly, readying himself for the half truth he was about to spin.

"I come from a village not yet discovered or mapped. You could say there are very few of our kind." Naruto whispered ironically, remembering the dwindling numbers from the war.

"That's impossible. Most clans, and villages are known throughout this land, even if unmapped." Tajima retorted, eyes cold and calculating, waiting his justification.

"Are they? Our numbers are not large enough to disturb the landscape, or give an obvious sign of civilization. Your clan alone is a large and renowned one, so your compound is built differently, more obtrusive, more spottable. Ours is not, it is camouflaged quite well if I might say. So who's to say your men haven't brushed past us? Perhaps during a speedy exit or lazy scan, your men laid eyes on our disguised and dismissed it? We are a very careful sort, it is the main reason only a handful of people know that we exist." Naruto bluffed.

He vaguely remembered a passage from an old scroll describing the ambitious Uchiha of old times, always conflicting with neighboring clans and villages. Fully developed ninja villages were rare in this land and time, especially in the Land of Fire. But somewhere out there stood the Yamanakas, the Aburames, the Naras, the Hyuuga, the Inuzuka, and so many more clans, Naruto wondered how many Tajima had killed, worked with, deceived. Who knew how strong they were in these times, which clan was the most formidable. Well, obviously the Hashirama clan, one of the main contenders. Shocked that he had barely come to the conclusion, Naruto spared a split second on the fact the ancestors of Konohagaukure were fighting over with each other. _I should really have paid more attention in history. _Snapped away from his inner assessments, Naruto focused on the stoic face of the Uchiha clan leader. After some time, the elder man shifted and acknowledged his statement.

"There a great many of us, that is true, Uchiha have eyes and ears in all parts of the country. Though very unlikely, a 'small unassuming village' as you say might go unnoticed, but not for long. Not much is overlooked in these dire times, perhaps we are but a few moons from stumbling upon your village." Tajma replied coldly, insetting darker, deadlier threats.

Naruto raised his eyebrows slightly, though the warning was a bit pointless, seeing how there was no actual village, yet, the fact that he spoke so plainly of it reminded the calculating and merciless way of the Uchiha. Reigning in slight shock, Naruto closed his eyes and composed himself, looking Tajima straight in the eyes. No sense of nervousness in sight, Naruto continued calmly, hands crossed demurely in front of him.

"That may be, but during the time being we are still safely tucked away. If we wanted to be found, we would have definitely been done so by now. Either way, my father _did _send me out here to learn about the clans and to explore the land, that was not a lie. I have been steadily mapping out and registering the bits of land and people I meet along the way. Yours was simply a longer incursion than expected. I am not here to threaten or hurt your people, simply to catalog it. But if your clan were to clash with ours, it would not be a one done deal. We will fight. As for the victor, it's a toss up at this moment. But we'd hate to destroy such a wonderfully constructed compound." He finished, eyes open in mock friendliness.

_You're not the only man with power here._ Naruto thought, it felt kinda good to threaten the man, though he knew it was an empty one, I mean he was technically the only Konoha citizen right now, but hey, sometimes you gotta bluff. Staring at him for his reaction, Tajima simple sat there, trying to gauge whether his words held any substance. Feeling like he should add a bit more, Naruto continued.

"I am not telling you we are not a probable hazard, but we have no interest in wars or power, we simply gather information. Strength and deadly skill we possess, but we would hate to use it when we would not gain much in our books. Like I said, the data I am collecting is more valuable. It is the basis of our society. I am not here to cause chaos, simply to observe your people. However you take that is up to you. If nothing else, I do appreciate your unknowing hospitality." Naruto replied, finishing with a fake smile, eyes empty but mouth shinning with a cheesy smile.

Leaning back upon his chair, Naruto observed as the older man took this all in. Hands coming together to form a bridge, head nodded softly, brows furrowed. Naruto hoped this show of blasé power would affect the head of the Uchiha clan enough to not consider him an enemy. Though it seemed counter productive at times, ninja always responded better to subtle threats and careful words than to all out proclamations of war or decimation. Well, at least that's what he had gathered during his time as a ninja, who knew if it still worked the same so many years earlier. _I mean, at least he knows that my imaginary clan has the power to attack if necessary; if my earlier 'demonstration' was anything to go off of. _He really didn't want to have to hurt any of these damned Uchiha's, technically they hadn't done nothing directly wrong at this point. Naruto was vindictive, but not on such a level.

As if coming to a decision, Naruto tensed as Tajima waved his hand in a random pattern. Seconds later the smaller man from earlier came shuffling in and leaned in, attentive to the whispered words that the clan head was uttering to him. Nodding obediently along, the man bowed politely and shuffled out.

Focusing back on him, Tajima leaned forward slightly and asked him simply, "Why have you not left. You could have disappeared with the intel you have gathered and been onto your next target. Yet you are still here." He stated more than asked.

Naruto remained quiet, unsure as to what to say, he hadn't exactly planned this far ahead. He honestly thought he'd be throwing shuriken and Rasengans by now.

"What can I say, your village is charming, the people are interesting." He didn't mention his self-assigned mission regarding Madara, but let it open for Tajima to misconstrue it as some petty intimacy affair.

"And my son has been taken with you, would he be part of the reason you have not made your leave?" Tajima said, an eyebrow cocked at him, daring him to protest. Pegging him to have fallen weak to his emotions. _Even now, people can be so predictable._

Grinning, Naruto played along and made a shy tilt of his head and fuddled with his hair lightly. It's what he noticed many women did when they were infatuated with someone. He understood though, cuz it was charming as hell. Naruto had pulled it out several times on previous missions, it had yet to fail him.

"Perhaps." He answered simply, with a soft shrug. Peering not exactly shyly, but with a more reserved look in his eye at Tajima. The clan head clasped his hands together once again and hid a very quick and subtle paternal look behind his eyes. Naruto did a small victory dance in his head, if he would have not been so intent on focusing on the mans body language, he would have missed it, but now he definitely recognized that look. That was it. He was in. He could tell by the eloquent look in Tajima's eyes and the fact the chakra from earlier was no longer building heavily in the room.

"Interesting, the daughter of a seemingly strong clan is interested in my son, a goal which was not primarily her intention. If these were…different circumstances, other discussions would be taking place between us. Or at least with your own father." Tajima stated.

Naruto choked, hands slamming into his chest as he tried not to die on the wad of spit now stuck in his throat. Finally dislodging the phlegm, his coughing turned into laughter as the meaning of Tajimas statement kept ringing around in his head. _How can this man go from threatening my imaginary clan to possibly arranging some sort of marriage between Madara and I._

_"Ridiculous…" _Naruto thought. Or so he imagined until Tajima responded, now in a lighter mood.

"Not so much so, he is a much sought after boy. He is after all, a possible heir with much power and men ready to fight with him." Tajima stated, not with pride or fatherly love, but in a matter of fact tone. Obviously this was to be expected from a wealthy and influential person.

"Yes, well, he is charming. In an unorthodox way, but I'm guessing you didn't decided not to execute me for a reason. That was fairly potent jutsu you were were constructing, it's a shame you had to dispel it."

Tajima's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, surprised he had sensed it at all. Continuing, Naruto finished his questioning.

"Whats your ultimatum, I believe you mentioned a request?" He said, trying to hold back on his sarcasm, I mean obviously Tajima had made up his mind and had already set some rules up that Naruto was sure he was about to discover. All foreign or non-local shinobi had rules and guidelines that they had to follow in alien lands. At least if they wanted to be in good standing with the village leaders and officials. Naruto guessed he'd be issued similar regulations, he just hoped it wasn't anything too jeopardizing or demeaning.

With a small smile, Tajima nodded and stood, motioning her to do the same. With a quirk of his brow, Naruto followed suit and waited for the man to make his way towards him, a small parcel in his hand.

"To the point. That's refreshing. Take this and read it thoroughly. I expect an answer within two days, that is the deadline for your decision to either stay or leave our compound. It is one of the friendlier offers I've had to give a nonnative shinobi." With a dismissive nod, Tajima clasped his hands firmly behind him and exited the room, the shuffling footsteps of the smaller man following his longer stride as they made their way out of the building.

Just before he was out of earshot, Naruto heard Tajima say, "Whatever your decision may be, my son will not be happy with either choice, so if you are to say anything to him, I will warn you he will be in quite the sour mood."

And with that odd remark, Naruto was left hearing the receding footsteps echoing within the stone walls of the building.

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto 'harum'phed and looked at the small brown package he held. A small waxy string holding together a parcel no bigger than his hand. With an apprehensive groan, Naruto also exited the room and quickly made his way to his temporary home, hoping to divulge in the contents of the package within the false safety of his room.

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><p>Naruto clicked his tongue, annoyed at the current predicament he was in. He had been hiding in his room for the past twelve hours, peering at the opened scrolls before him, which turned out to be the contents of the small, brown package. Two scrolls, one with the guidelines Naruto had expected earlier, along with another scroll outlining the conditions that Tajima and his personal council had requested, not to mention a small, plain, golden ring. He clicked again as he felt the surge of chakra just outside the perimeter of his house, once again. Madara had been popping in and out of the area of the small house, most likely waiting for him to finally exit and talk to him. By now Naruto assumed Madara knew he was a shinobi, kunoichi, whatever. I mean it had been almost a whole day, it was now nightfall, nearing midnight if he was correct, he assumed that Tajima had relayed the information to his son. At least Naruto assumed if the increased agitation in Madara's chakra signature was any indication. He had to give him some credit though, if it were him on the other side he would have busted in by now and demanded an answer, an explanation, something. It didn't help if you thought about Naruto's earlier confession.<p>

"Heavans, do I dig deep holes for myself." He whispered to the table he was seated at, glancing once again at the neatly written letters that made up the scroll. Sighing with one last hesitant breath, he shook himself and walked to his closet, looking for a decent outfit.

"If I'm gonna lay this on him, might ass well look decent."

His ragged thin undergarments were not something he'd like to be seen in. Sure, it was an easy access to do the ecchi things from earlier, but there were bigger things on his plate for the moment. He had been given two days, but Naruto hadn't needed that long. It was unlike himself to overthink a situation like this, it jus complicated things.

"Damn Uchihas…" he muttered to himself and picked out a light yellow kimono and laid it on his bed while he stripped for the bath that was already steaming up the mirrors. With a quick splash of water, he all but jumped into the square porcelain tub and moaned as the hot water massaged his aching body. After a few minutes of content silence, Naruto groaned and began to shampoo his hair and lather his body, he'd most likely pass out if he stayed still any longer. _Can't really enjoy a hot bath when you have a anxious Uchiha over your head anyway. _He thought.

Rinsing himself off and repeating with the conditioner-like liquid that the house provided, Naruto stood and grabbed the closest towel and dried himself off quickly as he walked towards his room. Wrapping another towel around his hair he grabbed the kimono and undergarments he had laid out and began to dress himself.

After almost half an hour of fixing himself up, Naruto nodded at himself in the mirror and jumped out his open window, following the faint trail of an agitated Uchiha. Huffing softly, Naruto landed on the soft earth below him, and pumped chakra into his legs as he sped towards his destination. It was kinda nice really, not having to cover it up any more. With a tensing of his muscled he jumped towards the trees and bee-lined for Madara's location.

Naruto guessed about ten minutes went by as he began to smell the sulfur of the nearby spring that was located by the heirs home. _Here._ He thought as he slowed down and began to follow the small trail towards Madara's dojo.

Walking in to the foyer, Naruto cocked an eyebrow as he noted the increasing mess of the place, not what he was expecting. Uprooted plants, books torn open, furniture strewn about randomly as if some clumsy burglar had stumbled over the place. _Or an angry youth_. Kurama whispered in the inner vestiges of his mind. _Yup, he's not gonna be happy._ Naruto thought back as he entered the main dojo court, following the grunts and thuds of a frustrated man.

_Well here goes._

Knocking softly, he didn't wait for a reply as he opened the doors and walked in. His eyes immediately spotting the man he was looking for. Madara was in the corner throwing kunai, senbon, and small curved daggers at a helpless dummy. A sad, straw and stick character roped up to a wooden log, practically falling apart with the abuse it must have been put through these last few hours.

Madara seemed to notice his presence but continued to throw his steel with a vigor that showed just how upset he was. Sighing for what seemed the millionth time that day, Naruto made his way over and stood silently next to the steaming Uchiha, feeling the energy radiating off of hime. Madara only sparred him a quick look then began assaulting the straw dummy again, this time with white tags. Naruto rolled his eyes and huffed. _Really, if you've been waiting for me to talk to you, this isn't a decent _response. He thought haughtily, but he didn't mind much, and waited patiently as Madara threw a couple more tags at the dummy. Looking over at the assaulted figure, the slips resembled explosive tags, but had a different overall layout. _Hmm, let's see what these bad boys are supposed to do._ Widening his eye, Naruto jumped as far backwards as he could when he felt a sudden surge of chakra as the dummy suddenly went up in white-hot flames, the fire licking greedily at the dry straw. It practically disintegrated in less than a few seconds. A small tendril of smoke wafted around the room, the only indication besides the small pile of ash, that there was even a dummy to begin with.

Naruto brought his attention back to clan heir as he now was seated on the ground, hands on his knees, ragged breath causing his chest and shoulders to heave dramatically. Sensing the somewhat calmer man, Naruto joined him, seated in front of him, assuming a similar positions, but more feminine, so as not to part the kimono too much. Wondering how he was going to start this conversation, Naruto gnawed on his lip, eyebrows furrowed at the glum Uchiha, head bowed and thinking god knows what. Inhaling deeply, Naruto was cut off by his own name.

"Naruto-san."

Taken slightly aback, Naruto stopped the abuse on his lip and paid close attention to Madara and responded with a slow blink.

"Yes, Madara-san?" He said as calmly and politely as possible.

"Decision." He retorted simply, eyes now blazing staring right through him, a look of guilt and something more etched into his features.

"Decision…?" He asked confused.

"My fathers 'request." He replied sternly, trying to hide his obvious anxiety. "Have you decided?"

Naruto could only nod in return. "I have already notified your father."

Exhaling sharply, Madara gripped his knees harder, and waited for him to answer. Dark, charcoal eyes boring into his clear, bright blue.

"I will not leave…" Naruto started softly, noting the joyous but apprehensive look in the young mans eyes. "…but I _will_ be part of a squad, unit, cell, whatever the terminology, during my stay here.

"He has no right…" Madara whispered almost inaudibly. Chakra signature spiking hotly, a thick wave of power brushing over Naruto, causing his breath to come shorter and his heart to beat faster with adrenaline. Trying to be as calm as possible, he scooted over next to him and laid a hand on the death grip on his knee. Madara twitched and looked up at him quickly, the wave of power slowly ebbing away.

Clearing his throat twice before he could speak clearly, Naruto looked stoically at Madara.

"Madara-san, your father's request is not unreasonable, and he _does_ have that right. He is the clan head and power center of all the people at this compound." Not getting much of a response, Naruto continued. _Goddamnit kid, it's flattering and all, but you need to calm the fuck down. Be a fucking grown ass shinobi._ He thought with irritation. If he was to become the head of all the Uchiha's, this was definitely not a way to handle situations, even if he he was closely tied to a problem.

"I'm not saying this is my cup of tea, or even something I will enjoy, it's actually a bit of a nuisance, but if I was in your father's place, I do not know if I would have given myself the benefit of the doubt. I assume you have been informed of my origins and reason for being here?"

Madara nodded and looked at her with that same strange look in his eyes. Sighing inwardly, Naruto was admittedly relieved, he hated to have to repeat himself unnecessarily.

"Well, I have made my decision and I will be donning that ring to label myself as a non-clan shinobi member. Besides, I'm awesome, I'll soon have these men eating out of the palm of my hand."

A soft chuckle exited the young man. After a few terse seconds, the Uchiha closed his eyes and sighed, shoulders sagging heavily. With a sudden movement, Madara reached forward and enclosed his arms around Naruto's frame. Unsure of what to do, even with their previous intimacy, Naruto awkwardly patted the man who was a couple years his junior on the back. It was amazing how young and vulnerable he looked at the moment.

* * *

><p>Madara's head was spinning. Naruto's words now etching themselves into his brain. <em>She is not a citizen. She is now kunochi. <em>It was almost too much too bare, on one hand, she wasn't leaving. She wasn't leaving_ him._ He thought with relief. And she wouldn't be labeled a spy or executed, not that he would have let that happen. But on the other, she would not be under public diplomacy rules any longer. She would practically be an unranked soldier. _Another weapon for my father's arsenal. _ Though he knew her power, her skill, her prowess, it was hard to grasp. Just a few days ago he was dining with her, trying not to stare too intently at an outrageous story she was portraying. It was hard to reset his mind to how he had first met her, how her father was most likely seeing her. As a high-risk shinobi with unknown assets, and a dangerous skill set that was rarely seen. _A tiger behind a paper-thin door._

"You used no chakra."

Was the smartest thing he could say without stumbling over his words. Pullling back from her intoxicating smell and looking at her intently. She seemed surprised, a hand rubbed softly at the nape of her neck, causing him to swallow thickly.

"Yes, well, I was trying to keep my identity a secret….so, yeah. I could have, but as our agreement, I withheld just as you did." She replied almost accusingly, hands crossed over her chest. She knew what he had meant with that statement. _You bested me several times. Without the aid of chakra. _It opened up the idea that she could do much more. So much more without those restraints. The thought of sparring with her, _fully untethered_, gave him a surge of adrenaline. _What is her element? What jutsu's are her forte? Does she fight using large or small scale attacks? How can I fully incapacitate her?_ He was beginning to fully gauge her as an opponent, something he thought he had already done, but must have subconsciously been doing improperly due to her citizen status. It felt like he had been building a puzzle with all the wrong pieces and now had to start over.

Madara only stared at the woman in front of him. Softly, he released the hug and grabbed her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles. Such a small action, even initiated by him, caused his ears to roar with his pumping blood. Doubling so as he thought back to their intimacy at the clearing. Swallowing thickly, Madara grabbed her other hand, wanting to feel more of her, wanting to press his lips to her soft skin once again. Before he could go any further, he stopped himself and sighed. _I must know._

Closing her eyes, Naruto nodded, already expecting his request.

"I would like to feel it."

He needed to know how her chakra felt, how it played or fought with his own. Finally, he could sense her energy fully. It would help him determine hers from thousands of others. His body rang with the idea, he wondered if it would burn, or if it would stop his heart cold, or if it would caress him. Every chakra system felt differently, he wondered how such an odd creatures would feel like.

With a soft exhale, he observed Naruto as she released the grip he had on her and tilted her head back, eyes closed.

"Are you sure?"

Madara nodded. Breathing heavily for some odd reason, Madara braced himself.

With a soft exhale from Naruto, it began.

Though he had been expecting it, he was hit with the full force of her energy, all breath knocked from his lungs. Like a dam, a searing hot, heavy, flow of chakra surrounded him, went through him, filled the room, the house, the forest surrounding them, stretching out for miles for all he knew. His muscles and body strained with the new unnatural force, his own chakra freeing itself up, readying for battle. It was so much. Too much. He couldn't breath.

Gasping, he doubled over as his body began seizing up, black dots entering the corner of his vision as her power replaced the oxygen in his lungs and squeezed from the inside out. Was it killing him? Pure chakra…as a weapon? Pain, so much that the survival instinct in him wanted to lash out at her. To wrap his hands around that dainty neck and squeeze til the pain stopped. But just as quickly as it started, the searing pressure stopped, a cool, calm breeze replacing the intoxicating atmosphere from before. His ability to breath returning to him once again. A gentler chakra energy now replacing the other. Gasping loudly, he took in deep breaths to provide himself with as much air for his strained lungs, he straightened slowly and looked at her, body trembling. _Was this her power?_ He had never felt anything it before. It was so heavy, so coarse, like hot molten lava with bits of glass cutting into him. It almost felt evil. Demonic. Wiping the sweat that he just realized had formed on his brow, he tried not to show the split fear he had felt in his eyes. If it were not for the softer, smoother chakra he felt immediately after the abrasive one, he would have questioned if she was even human at all.

A concerned hand laid itself on his shoulder, she was apologizing now. Saying that it had been so long, that her body had literally been clogged with unused chakra. She continued on saying that her coils were strange, that they attacked the user, and whoever was around whenever her system was purged. He could only nod as his body recovered from the wave he almost drowned under. He understood. He never had fully experienced it before, but had heard of clans and shinobi who had gone through the process. It was a process of intentionally stopping their chakra flow and plugging their coils. It was meant as a training routine, or something of the sort, if done properly it would strengthen the shinobi exponentially. His father had even considered integrating it into their new recruits, but had scoffed at the idea. One could die from that, chakra was not only a weapon, it was a life source, you can't simply stop breathing all together, you have to take baby steps. He wondered how much pain she had been in these past few months. Coming back to himself, he focused back on her concerned face, it was such a lovely site really.

"You..you hid all _that?"_ The Uchiha said in a mixture of awe, surprise and worry.

"Yes, I suppose I did." Was all she said, trying to be modest but he could tell she was on cloud nine. How it must feel to finally release he would never know, but Madara himself would be proud of such a feat. He wondered if he should tell her how suffocating it was to those around her, at least temporarily. Madara decided to keep quite, since it seemed that was a one time deal and she was in such a light mood. It explained the return of her cocky demeanor. She was now smirking at him, teasing him for the few seconds he had wavered between consciousness.

"Don't tell me my little ol' chakra system almost knocked you out?" Naruto continued, hands now clasped together in mock sympathy. _Yes._ He thought, but didn't want to admit it out loud.

"Here, let me go get you glass of water, you seem to be choking up." She replied as she slapped her knee in glee and doubled over in laughter. Though at his expensive, he couldn't help but find it charming, offensive yes, but charming still. Without thinking he grabbed her chin and silenced her, lips melded roughly with hers, his hand landing at her waist, pulling her close to him. His heart soared as she retuned the kiss, her own hands gripping his arms, as if anchoring herself. With a pleasant surprise, she deepened the kiss, tongue coming out to meet with his, their mouths no longer restrained. He groaned into her, relishing the feel of her pressed up against him once again. With a sigh, he ended the kiss, sitting back on his haunches, face matching her flushed one as his eyes refocused. Though grudgingly, he had to discuss his father's request.

"When is your first mission?"

After composing herself, she nodded knowingly and gave a gallic shrug.

"In a couple days, I will be with two others." She replied, a no nonsense look on her face, knowing full well what she was getting into. He wondered if she was a reflection of her people. Unpredictable, silly, strong, _likable_. The Uchiha's were a proud clan, but they were somber, reserved, almost cold. _How will she interact with her team? Will she become as cold as them?_ Before he could ask, she held up a hand.

"I may be a temp soldier, but I will not kill or maim to the standards I am used to, or to the ones you have here. I have reviewed some of the tasks and missions your father delivered to me. Most are pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things. Taking lives is not what I do, it seems I will be mainly an extractor. Though I have no allegiance to this clan, I will try my best to not compromise agents and shinobi alike, but I will do it on my terms, I cannot put my clan in an awkward potation if things go array." She finished, standing up and dusting her knees, arranging her kimono elegantly, Madara watched as she circled the room inspecting the mess he had caused, stopping here or there to pick up a discarded weapon or ruined tag.

Exhaling he stood up as well and somberly nodded his head. It was strange how quickly she adapted to her new situation_. Can she ever not impress me?_ He thought with some amusement, he felt like a fool around her, especially now that she was technically on equal footing as her. A shinobi with most of the clearances she needed to come and go as she pleased. He wondered if she'd be in the briefing rooms that all ninja had to attend before executing a mission. _Hmm, I will have to ask father._ However she had worded her defense must have been impressive enough to let his father accept it and twist it around in order to use her. They had plenty of numbers to not need an extra pair of hands, but he knew that Tajima was always quick to pick up on the opportunities presented to him. _An opportunity dressed as a bewitching woman, with tactics and skills we have not quite seen before._ She must have had at least an inkling of a desire to want to do it though, it caused his heart to clench, but she could have just easily left. Which made him think of something he had had his mind every since he realized he cared for her.

_How long before you decided to permanently leave?_

* * *

><p><span>Two days later<span>

"This is the target area, Giro will provide you with the necessary blueprints for you all. The head guard of the area is an old enemy of ours..of the Uchiha clan, we must make sure no sign of our retrieval is evident. Tonight, meet at the east side of the complex at 1900 hours, with your packs ready. The estimated travel time before you reach the point of extraction is about 2 hours, the window of opportunity is twenty minutes. You are to go in, take Jin out within two seconds of the guard change in order for you to go undetected. He's in a small closet-like room hidden on the south side of the lobby. He will most likely be tied up and incapacitated due to the signal of his distress call. Once you cross the property line, the wards will activate and any loose chakra signatures will be registered. Make sure to keep a tight hold on them otherwise the clan will be identified. That is the nature of your mission, Naruto-san, do you have any questions?" Boomed the demanding voice of Ryota, the facilitator and briefer of this meeting.

Surprise, Naruto shook his head gratefully. _He's making sure I don't fuck this up_. He might not have ever gone on missions with these shinobi, but layouts of mission were basically the same. He had done these several times before, just with different teams. He was surprised though that instead of a four-man team, it would only be three of them, not unheard of, just rare. He assumed none of them had medical expertise, seeing as how that was something that was integrated into Konoha's system later on. _Hopefully we won't need it. _Naruto thought. It was simple task to go in, get the man, and run back to the compound without being tailed or tracked, but there was always room for injury.

"Then that is all, Giro, Michi, and Naruto-san, get acquainted with each other or don't, but make sure that you are able to get this done." Ryota said finally without much pre course and left with a quick head nod and exited the small meeting room, the room now seeming larger that he had left. But Naruto liked him, he was straight forward, coarse, and at times funny. It was odd to think he was even allowed to be an Uchiha. His darker skin and almost overbearing aura was almost the complete opposite compared to the stoic, calm faces of the fair-skinned Uchiha's. _I should grab a drink with him._ He though off-handedly, feeling that he'd be good company to be around. _Oh wait, that will probably look bad._ Naruto reminded himself. Sometimes it was annoying to be stuck in the past with stricter norms and a possible beau around the corner.

Really, Madara was fun, annoying but fun, but his foreboding attitude did make it difficult to even be friends with some people. He thanked the heavens that Naoki-san was an ever comforting friend he would interact with. Now that he thought about it, he'd probably should let him know he wouldn't be able to be so active now, how he would say it though would be tricky. There was a bit of non-disclosure part of the terms he agreed to, can't really go around telling people he was going to be part of their forces. Lots of older shinobi and elder would most likely not be able to cope with a foreign woman on par or even better than their comrades. He was wary as to the reaction of this new team to her, they all held their emotions in check accordingly, but he wondered who they really felt. _We don't have to be best friends, just hope they don't wanna sabotage me or anything._

Not one to sit around and do nothing, Naruto turned and looked at her temporary teammates. Grinning Naruto extended his hand, "Pleased to meet you, the name's Naruto. I assumed you've been filled in as to my status. I'd like to know your take on the most efficient strategy for this predicament." he smiled, a bit anxious that the man would reject the handshake. J_ust take the hand. Please. I'm used to rejection but lets just make this easier on all of us._ Fortunately, Giro without hesitation, smoothly extend his own and firmly griped his smaller hand and gave it a quick shake. Naruto smiled genuinely and leaned in attentively to his plans. Naruto had a few to share but he wasn't going to step on any toes so early on. The Uchiha nodded and motioned for the other Uchiha in the room, a younger man, he'd guess around fifteen or sixteen. _Must be pretty skilled to hang with his seniors_. Naruto pondered absently, he knew how it was to hang around peers who had more experience under their belts. Michi was his name if he recalled properly. Said shinobi also shook his hand politely after a quick once over and and settled up around the tight semi circle they had formed. Naruto almost sang with glee. _Professionalism_. _Thank you. _Not even a word on his or technically _her_ sex, a question of her competency, or even a quip of a possible weakness. _I guess this might not be so bad._

"As Ryota mentioned, there are guards forming up the outer perimeter…" Giro began with a very clear and soothing voice which surprised Naruto. Nodding, he listened closely to the intricate planning that Giro had already seemingly created in the short time he had between Ryota's words and exit. Impressed, Naruto wiped his own mind clean realizing that his plans would work but not as effectively as Giro's. He faintly reminded him of Shikamaru. Michi nodded along as well and asked confirming questions ever so often.. Naruto pitched once in as well to add small details missed. Both the men looked at her with soft, surprised looks, cautionary respect slowly making its way through their eyes. Naruto could tell, he would always see it when he was younger. He had to thank Yamato, Jiraiya, and all the high-level shinobi he had the luck to learn from. If it weren't for them, he'd just be a knuckle-head with an enormous power base that he didn't know how to properly use.

As they started to wrap up their final plan, Naruto finally took the time to inspect the two men he would be working with. He brought his attention first to the unassigned lead of the trio. Giro was a tall, tall man, about mid twenties, probably a year or two older than her. He had the signature dark hair that all Uchiha men had, but it was cropped short to the scalp, very military-like. He had the same dark eyes and fair skin that was popular among Uchiha genes, but had a faint but distinctive scar that started from the middle of his forehead and extended up and bit into his hair line. Oddly it enhanced his appearance more than took away from it. Sliding his gaze from the older Uchiha to the younger, he examined Michi. He was young, that was obvious by the way he tried to hold himself sturdier to make himself seem more important, it reminded Naruto of himself when he was that age. Granted Michi was an Uchiha, so he was more reserved about it, but all teenagers were the same. He had almost the same cookie-cutter shape and features that most men of this clan possessed, but his eyes were a light brown instead of that dark charcoal color. He also had a nicked right eyebrow that must have occurred during some young brawl or mission. _Or who knows, maybes he's in a gang. _Naruto thought with amusement.

"Naruto-san will then go in and retrieve Jin after we secure the area for her and we'll make a speedy exit." Giro finished, knocking once on the wooden table to indicate the end of the conversation. Piqued, Naruto didn't hide his startled look.

"You want me to do the actual extraction?" He uttered softly in surprise, mouth agape, hair falling into his face which the sudden motion of his head. Smiling softly Giro nodded and looked a Michi who nodded in confirmation.

"Well. I'm honored. Thank you. I mean this is my first mission with you two, you don't know my skills, or even how I'll react with you or even with Jin, but you're trusting me with this?" Though he knew his capability and how well he worked with teams and others, it surprised him that they'd give this to a woman they had just met a few minutes earlier.

Exhaling softly Giro shrugged his shoulders and looked at her evenly, "An unknown, foreign woman is accepted into the ranks of a very elite clan with little protest, argumentation or council. An order that comes straight from the top of the chain,Tajima-sama himself. I would be a fool and be committing an own personal crime if I were to doubt orders from a perceptive and noble leader. Who are we to question your expertise? If Tajima-sama was impressed enough to assign you to this mission, then I will not question your credibility." Giro finished, getting up and shuffling and piling up the papers laid out on the table, obviously done and ready to go. Naruto scratched the back of his head shyly, inwardly flexing. _Can't argue with that logic. _

Michi, seemingly bored with it all bid his farewell, mentioned packing, then exited the room. Giro finished stacking the papers and after putting them in a battered folder, walked out as well, mentioning the location of their meeting. After a soft good bye Naruto sat down, awestruck by how fast all this was happening. Two days ago he was being accused of espionage and sucking face with Madara. Now he was preparing to go on a mission in…how many hours? Looking up at the clock on the wall Naruto realized they had only four hours before they had to have and have everything ready to go. _This is really happening._

He was going to be a shinobi, fighting _for_ the Uchiha clan. It was almost too much, if he had known a strange unknown scroll would have caused the events that would have landed him here, well….

"Whatever, I need to go and prepare." He said to the wooden walls of the conference room. Getting up and dusting his red kimono, he headed towards home. A tingling sense of excitement slowly building up within him. It always happened. right before a mission. The sense of unknown and endless possibilities to a solution were before him. It was always so exciting, doubly so that he was doing it with a new team. It almost felt familiar. He hadn't had the luxury to be given so much time and preparation before a mission. Ever since the war, the most time he'd gotten back in his own time was about an hours notice. _Cant really predict when next wave of attacks are coming when your defense wards are shot to shit._

It was a sad reminded of the ever growing difference between his time and theirs. But he knew he could succeed in changing this world in order to better change the future. Damn all paradoxes or silly rules of things unknown, he was an Uzumaki, he'd change things with his last fighting breath.

Walking through his door he headed straight for his room and packed for the mission, making sure to add all the items he normally packed. He was ever thankful for the high quality weapons that Naoki and his company provided. After examining the grip on a kunai, he safely slipped that in as well along with some soldier pills, med packs, and water and food supplies. It was always safer to overpack than to show up with nothing. Happy with the contents, he sealed them all within a scroll and put into the regulation thigh holster. It was nice to see even that hadn't changed. Realizing he'd actually have to wear the darn thing he clucked his tongue and quickly disrobed.

"I'm not abut to go on a mission in a freakin kimono." He said, walking briskly to his closet, stark naked. As he was desperately shuffling through his clothes, he realized all the reasonable clothes were missing, most likely in the wash. Exasperated he checked the shelves above, hoping to find a hidden gem. No luck.

"Maybe's I left something in the bathroom." He whispered with some declining hope. He really didn't want to wear such elegant clothing to a mission that asked for the most efficient and unnoticeable attire. A white garment of cranes flying across his sleeves wasn't exactly the most suitable choice. Not that he could talk much since he was a big fan of bright orange. Entering the bathroom, he swiveled back and forth trying to find anything, but only found a bunch of dirty rags he had used to was his weapons earlier.

Groaning, Naruto pouted and sat at the edge of the bath hopelessly staring through the open door at his room hoping that a different vantage point could help him spot anything decent. Scanning the room, he once again came up with nothing and pouted harder. Just as he was about to kick the bar of soap that was lying on the floor Naruto stopped and tilted his head. Getting up quickly and running to his bed he flipped the covers off his bed and grinned broadly.

"Yes!" He cried happily picking up clothes he didn't even know he had which had been hidden by his messy bed. Examining them closely he was surprised by how simple and suitable they were. Slick black pants with pockets to store scrolls and weapons, and a v-neck, quarter sleeved shirt that matched the slickness of the pants. Crumpled up between them was also a common net shirt that all ninja had in order to keep any underarmor in check, it was long-sleeved and would extend to cover up any unprotected skin. Naruto nodded happily, they would fit him well, extremely well, the clothes would contour itself to his female body. They were perfect, Practical and unobtrusive. Grasping them to his bare chest in glee he looked down as he heard a soft fluttering noise. Bending over he realized a small white card had fallen along with the sheets he'd flipped. Picking it up he held it between his fingers and flipped it over.

_For the success of your first mission_

_Take them in the hopes of soothing my nerves_

_-M_

Naruto grinned.

"Wow. That's…really thoughtful."

Not flowers, not jewelry, not pretty things, but a practical shinobi gift, Madara was sure a lady-killer. Naruto thought sarcastically.

Trying on the clothes quickly, Naruto approved. Whistling he looked at himself in the mirror. It wasn't much at first glance but he realized that whatever material used made a simple outfit seem more posh somehow. It fit in all the right places and didn't sag here and there like most of his clothes. It was deceivingly ordinary.

"I look like your typical ninja." He said with amusement but was extremely satisfied with how it made him look. He was always taken aback by how good he could look. _I make one hot woman. _Turning around he looked at his backside.

"Ass like a peach!" he said to his reflection, turning this way and that in a sort of narcissistic dance. All he needed was a cover for his mouth and he'd be set, but even Naruto wasn't that traditional.

"Well, I'm all ready to go!" He exclaimed to himself as he put on a simple pair of ninja boots and tied his hair up in a quick ponytail. Calming his excited heart, he finished by strapping on his thigh holster and adding a few last minute items to his pockets. He had about an hour and a half left before he rendezvoused with his team.

"Oh, almsot forgot!"

Rummaging through his desk he found the parcel he was given and donned the simple golden ring the Tajima gave him. It was a small ring, an ordinary band of gold with an 'x' etched onto it. It was very unassuming and fit snuggle onto his pinky. He hummed, he had expected some sort of spark or bite, but it really was just an ordinary ring. He'd have to inspect it later to find out what it truly was. Naruto guessed it was some sort of tracking beacon, if he really concentrated, he could pick up a very faint hum coming from it. If he didn't have his enhanced hearing, he'd probably would never had picked up on it.

Shrugging he gave himself one quick look over and headed out the door. Though he still had about an hour before leaving, he wanted to do a few quick stretches and exercises. Besides, waiting around was never his forte. With an excited yip, he left.


End file.
